The Verbal Variant
by scarlett3639
Summary: A sequel to The English Element. As Katherine and Leonard attempt to remain friends, what romances will develop by her re-entry to the group?  Main cast and OC
1. The Cafeteria Conundrum

**_The Verbal Variant_ - A sequel to _The English Element_**

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><p>Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with <em>The Big Bang Theory<em> (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

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><p>Chapter 1 – The Cafeteria Conundrum<p>

**Science Cafeteria, Caltech, Pasadena CA**

Katherine took a deep breath before she entered the cafeteria and willed herself to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. It had been two months since she had last seen her ex-boyfriend, Leonard Hofstadter. After the break up they had agreed to take some time apart before trying to be friends; Katherine had decided to test the waters today.

She walked toward the table where Leonard and his friends usually sat. She spotted Leonard with his roommate Sheldon Cooper and their two friends Howard Wolowitz and Raj Koothrappali. "Hi Leonard." Katherine greeted him.

"Katherine! What a surprise!" Leonard replied "You remember everyone."

"Of course. Howard, Raj, Sheldon. Good to see you all again." Howard and Sheldon returned her greeting, Raj nodded. Silence reigned over the group.

"Well, let's just admit this is extremely awkward and move on." Katherine said brightly, in an attempt to break the tension.

"It is weird isn't it?" Leonard agreed.

"Absolutely, so I'll cut to the chase. I came by to invite you all to a fundraiser that the English and History Departments are hosting."

"Katherine, I don't believe that we can countenance supporting the Humanities." Sheldon commented, causing his friends to roll their eyes.

"It's a costume party, Sheldon." Katherine said teasingly.

"What's the theme? Will there be prizes?" Sheldon asked excitedly.

"The theme is Historical and Fictional Characters. It was originally going to be literary characters but I convince the rest of the committee to broaden the scope." Katherine answered.

"That sounds like fun." said Howard. Raj nodded in agreement.

"Here are the tickets." Katherine said, passing them out as she spoke. "Raj, Sheldon, Howard and one for Bernadette, Leonard and …do you need one for Penny?"

"Umm…we're not together." At Katherine's questioning look Leonard continued "We decided not to rush into things."

"It's been two months!" Katherine exclaimed.

"I haven't figured out a way to broach the subject." Leonard muttered.

"Here's your chance." Katherine handed him the second ticket. She looked at her watch "I have to get to class. Good to see you all again." They exchanged goodbyes and Katherine left to teach her class.

"Wow! That was strange. It's the first time I've seen Katherine since we broke up. Must have been weird for you guys too." Leonard said. His three friends were suspiciously silent and avoided meeting his gaze. "What?" he asked.

"Well…it's not the first time I've seen her since you two broke up." Howard admitted.

"What!" Leonard was shocked.

"You know she and Bernadette got tight while you were dating. She asked Bernadette to set her up with some of the guys from the lab and so we've been on some double dates."

"She's already dating!"

"Not dating per se, just a few dates. The guys from Bernadette's lab aren't the fun-loving free spirits we are." Howard replied. "She told Bernie that not one of them knew Graham Chapman from a graham cracker."

"Oh that is amusing." Sheldon remarked. "I do believe that Katherine is the wittiest woman you've had coitus with Leonard."

"Yeah…wait a minute. Sheldon, you were acting weird, even for you. Have you seen Katherine since we broke up?"

"I haven't seen her. You know I find face to face interactions unnecessary." Leonard relaxed at Sheldon's words. "We've been exchanging e-mails."

"What!"

"She'd become a treasured acquaintance. I wasn't going to drop her after all the trouble I had fitting her into my social circle. Besides, she's the only one who properly appreciates my fun facts."

"So you've just been e-mailing fun facts?" Leonard asked.

"She also volunteered to proofread my latest paper. She said it would have an even better chance of being published if it sounded as though it had been written by a human."

Leonard grinned despite himself as Sheldon didn't even register the insult, then his eye fell on Raj. "You too?" he asked in disbelief.

"We've just been IMing during _America's Next Top Model_." Raj said defensively "None of you will watch it with me."

"You guys are unbelievable." Leonard shook his head.

"It's not like we were dating her." Howard defended "She's a cool chick. We liked her for herself; not just because she was dating you. Besides, you're the one who dumped her."

Leonard sighed.

Meanwhile Katherine was reflecting on the meeting as she walked to class. _That was really awkward but it still went better than I expected. It was nice to see the boys again...I've only really seen Howard since Leonard and I broke up…Leonard was looking pretty down. I hope he and Penny get back together soon. _Katherine stopped in her tracks for a moment, surprised at how sincere she was. _They're both miserable without each other. Bernadette has told me how badly Penny's been feeling. I hope Leonard asks her to the party and she accepts. _Katherine's thoughts drifted to the party for a few minutes and then just before she walked into the classroom they went back to the four men. _Raj was looking good _was the last thought she had before starting her lecture.

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><p><strong>Author note: Here is the sequel as promised. Much thanks to dee87, Little Pages and Llwynog the Bard for all of their encouraging early <strong>**reviews of **_**The English Element**_**. **

**I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.**


	2. The Party Problem

**_The Verbal Variant_ - A sequel to _The English Element_**

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><p>Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with <em>The Big Bang Theory<em> (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

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><p>Chapter 2 – The Party Predicament<p>

**Leonard**

Leonard stood in his apartment with his hand on the doorknob. _I don't think I was this nervous the first time I asked Penny out _he thought. He had decided to invite Penny to the costume party but nerves had him frozen in place. If he and Penny started dating again, the stakes were so much higher than before. If they broke up again they wouldn't be able to stay friends this time. Dating Penny again had the potential for a Charlie-Foxtrot of epic proportions…but it had the potential for a lifetime of happiness as well. _Our babies will be smart __and__ beautiful._ He smiled at the thought, took a deep breath and crossed the hall to Penny's apartment.

_Knock, knock _

Penny opened the door. "Hi Leonard."

"Hey Penny."

"What's up?" Penny asked, noting Leonard's nervousness.

"Would you like to go to a costume party?"

"It's not at the comic book store is it?" Penny grimaced as she thought of the last costume party she had attended with the guys.

"No." Leonard replied, wincing at the memory. "It's at the university. The English and History departments are hosting a fundraiser."

"The English department? Oh, is that the party Katherine is working on?"

"Yeah." Leonard suddenly realized how awkward it was to be asking one ex-girlfriend to a party thrown by another ex-girlfriend. "She stopped by at lunch to give us all tickets and said I should invite you."

"Are you asking me to go with the group or to go with you?"

"With me." Leonard held his breath, waiting for her answer.

"I'd love to go with you Leonard." Penny smiled.

"Okay good." Leonard was almost giddy with relief

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><p><strong>Penny<strong>

Penny closed the door behind Leonard feeling more excited than when she'd been elected to the Corn Queen's court. Finally she and Leonard were taking the first steps toward getting back together. Replaying the conversation in her mind she recalled that Leonard had said Katherine had told him to invite her. Penny sat down on her couch, shoving several pieces of clothing aside, as she considered what that could mean.

Penny and Katherine hadn't really spoken since Leonard and she had broken up. Penny still got a little sick to her stomach when she thought of that night. Katherine had kept a low profile with almost everyone since then. Penny knew she and Bernadette hung out quite a bit, and Katherine had attended a few Girls Nights, but mainly movies and plays they had already made plans for. She would show up just before the performance and refused to go for drinks or food afterwards, limiting the time available for conversation. Penny thought _I need to talk to Katherine, really talk to her, before the party. I know she and Leonard want to try to be friends and if he and I are dating Katherine and I need to be okay with each other. She went out of her way to be nice to me when they were dating; I owe her the same courtesy. _Penny summoned her courage and dialed Katherine's number.

"Hello?" Katherine answered the phone.

"Hi Katherine, it's Penny."

There was a slight pause and then Katherine spoke. "Hi Penny, how are you?"

"Good, and yourself?"

"I've been fine. Listen, Leonard just asked me to your party." Penny blurted out.

Katherine laughed "It's not my party. I'm just one of the committee members."

"You know what I mean."

Katherine sobered. "Yes, I do."

"Leonard said you suggested he ask me."

"I can't believe he told you that."

"You know Leonard." Penny said wryly.

"Yeah. Did you say yes?"

"I did." Penny admitted softly.

"Good." Katherine said sincerely.

"Are you really okay with this?" Penny was doubtful.

"Yes, it's time for all of us to move on." Katherine said firmly "Listen, have you decided on your next Girls Night yet?"

"No, did you have something in mind?" Penny asked.

"Yes, why don't you all come over here and we can have a costume planning session." Katherine suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea. I'll call Amy and Bernadette."

"Okay, Wednesday still good?"

"Yeah."

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><p><strong>Katherine<strong>

Katherine hung up the phone and reflected on her conversation with Penny. Since the break-up she'd been avoiding talking to Penny; she was grateful Penny had called her and forced a conversation. Despite all the awkwardness she enjoyed spending time with Penny. _Leonard certainly has great taste in women _Katherine thought smiling _And in friends. I've missed hanging out with everyone. Usually you have to endure your boyfriend's friends but Leonard's friends were a bonus. Leonard used to joke I was only dating him for his friends. _

Katherine sighed._ It is so hard to find people who properly appreciate giant insect movies. The other professors in the department find sci-fi too "low brow." _Katherine snorted _Like there aren't dirty jokes in Shakespeare and Chaucer...I'm glad everyone is coming to the party. It will be nice to socialize with them all again…I wonder if we can talk Amy into wearing a costume. _Katherine giggled at the thought. _I better start coming up with some "scientific" arguments. Maybe I can get her to view it as a social experiment...I wonder what the guys will wear? Howard will probably coordinate with Bernadette, Sheldon will probably be The Flash or Spock, Leonard…since he's going with Penny I'm not sure what he'll pick, Raj…hmm I don't think I can guess. He has unexpected depths. _Katherine got lost in thought as she considered a few things Raj had revealed in their IM conversations.

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><p><strong>Raj<strong>

Raj couldn't get over seeing Katherine that afternoon. It had been two months and he would have thought the reality couldn't live up to his fantasies. _She is even more beautiful than I remembered_. Raj thought. _It's a good thing no one ever found out I had a crush on her when she and Leonard were dating…I'm glad she stopped by today. It hasn't been enough just IMing her…_Raj looked at the ticket Katherine had given him_. A costume party. That should be fun…and maybe I can take advantage of it. _Raj thought about how he could make use of the opportunity fate had provided him.

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><p><strong>Author note: I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<strong>


	3. THe IM Interlude

**_The Verbal Variant_ - A sequel to _The English Element_**

Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with _The Big Bang Theory_ (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

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><p>Chapter 3 – The IM Interlude<p>

Katherine settled in for her weekly _America's Next Top Model_ Instant Messaging session with Raj. It was a ritual she looked forward to. Raj was actually a great conversationalist, when sober, with a wicked sense of humor she enjoyed. Katherine insisted on making the IM conversations as much like "real" conversation as possible. Rule one was no text abbreviations, unless they were done ironically. Rule two was to specify the emotional intent of the sentence since the written word couldn't convey tone otherwise. It had been awkward at first, but after two months it was now completely natural. Katherine realized she'd had better conversations with Raj this way then she'd had with some of her girl friends.

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><p>Raj and Katherine had just finished watching <em>America's Next Top Model<em> and were dishing on Tyra's decision.

**Book Kat:** I can't believe Monique got voted off! (shocked)

**Starlvr**: I know! It should have been Mikaela. She can't smize to save her life.

**Book Kat: **Totally. Janice would never have let her stay.

**Starlvr**: I miss Janice

**Book Kat**: Me too. No one delivers crazy like Janice Dickerson, not even Paula Abdul.

**Starlvr**: LOL.

**Starlvr**: So, how are plans for the party coming along?

**Book Kat**: OK. Just finalizing details and taking care of last minute crises.

**Starlvr: **Anything you need to vent about?

**Book Kat:** Not really. It's just difficult getting assorted English and History Professors _and_ florists _and _carpenters to agree on what 18th century Vauxhall looked like.

**Starlvr**: That does sound like a challenge. What are you going as?

**Book Kat: **It's a surprise ;-)

**Starlvr**: But how will I recognize you? (coaxing)

**Book Kat: **None of the committee members will be masked, so we can be found easily if we're needed to deal with a crisis. What are you going as?

**Starlvr**: Also a surprise. (mysteriously)

**Book Kat:** Ooh! A man of mystery. How intriguing.

**Starlvr**: Are you going with anyone?

**Book Kat: **Sort of. One of the History profs on the committee is a friend so we decided to go together.

**Starlvr**: So not a date?

**Book Kat: **No. We went out a couple of times when I first started at the university but we didn't click romantically. Now we just have lunch occasionally and if we're both not seeing anyone we go to historical movies together and make fun of the inaccuracies.

**Starlvr**: Maybe you'll meet the man of your dreams at the ball.

**Book Kat: **So you'd suggest I dress like Cinderella? (sarcasm)

**Starlvr: **Might be hard to find glass slippers on such short notice.

**Book Kat:** I bet they're painful to dance in too.

**Starlvr**: (grin)

**Book Kat: **I'll probably be too busy keeping an eye on things to meet anyone.

**Starlvr: **You never know.

**Book Kat: **You're an incurable romantic aren't you Raj?

**Starlvr**: Yes

**Book Kat: **Most men would refuse to admit that.

**Starlvr**: Most men are fools.

**Book Kat: **Too true sigh

**Starlvr**: (broaching awkward subject) K, do you miss Leonard?

**Book Kat: **It's complicated. (understatement)

**Starlvr**: I'm all eyes.

**Book Kat:** (pause to gather thoughts) I miss him as a friend, not romantically. But I do miss being in a relationship with someone who _gets _me. I hate going to clubs and bars; I'm afraid I'll run into my students. The whole dating scene sucks. The ratio of frogs to princes is not favorable.

**Starlvr**: At least you've had a relationship.

**Book Kat: **?

**Starlvr:** You know my "condition." I can't talk to a woman without drinking. I can score a one night stand that way but it's not like you can base a relationship on alcohol.

**Book Kat**: Several of my cousins have certainly proven that.

**Book Kat:** So you've never had a girlfriend?

**Starlvr: **No, it's not possible. I have to sneak out after hook ups to avoid conversation.

**Book Kat: **Oh Raj (sympathy)

**Starlvr**: Can we change the subject? (uncomfortable)

**Book Kat: **Of course. I just wish things were different. You're such a wonderful person. You deserve to be happy.

**Starlvr**: Thank you for saying the obligatory kind friend things.

**Book Kat: **I'm not being kind; I'm being honest. You're sweet, funny, smart, handsome ... any girl would be lucky to have you. (sincere)

**Starlvr**: As long as she doesn't mind doing all the talking.(bitter)

**Book Kat: **Someday you'll find the right girl and you'll find your voice. (encouragement)

**Starlvr**: You're an incurable romantic too, aren't you?

**Book Kat:** Takes one to know one.

**Book Kat: **Oh it's late. I have an early class tomorrow. I'll have to say good night now.

**Starlvr:** Good night.

**Book Kat: **Sweet dreams.

Raj thought to himself as he logged off _You have no idea._

Later he laid in bed thinking over his conversations with Katherine. The chats were a unique experience for Raj. Aside from his female relatives, he'd never had a sober discussion with a woman before he'd started IMing with Katherine. Almost all of his other exchanges with women had been him trying to pick them up while under the influence. With Katherine he had real conversations, even if they were typed, not spoken. He'd never had the opportunity to actually get to know a woman before.

Raj reflected on what Katherine had said that evening. _Does she really think I'm "sweet, funny, smart and handsome" or was she just being a good friend? If she does see me that way…She wants a relationship with a man who "gets" her, I could give her that. _Raj sighed. _If I could only talk to her._

She was woman who studied language, and he was a man who couldn't speak.

Meanwhile Katherine laid in her own bed as she mulled over the night's conversation. Raj was everything she was looking for in a man, except... _ If only_...was her last thought before drifting off to sleep.

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><p><strong>Author note: I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<strong>


	4. The Costume Conversation

**_The Verbal Variant_ - A sequel to _The English Element_**

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with <em>The Big Bang Theory<em> (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4 – The Costume Conversation<strong>

The following Wednesday Katherine was in her apartment, getting ready for Girls Night. She finished setting the table and went over to the stove for a last minute check on dinner. Penny, Bernadette and Amy were due to arrive soon and she wanted things to be perfect for the first Girls Night she'd hosted in over two months.

_Knock, knock_

Katherine took a deep breath and answered the door. After the four women exchanged greetings Katherine said "Have a seat everyone, dinner is ready."

"Thank goodness, I'm starved! What are we having?" Penny asked.

"Stuffed shells, tossed salad and garlic bread." Katherine answered.

"Sounds delish." Bernadette enthused.

Katherine grabbed a bottle of red wine and the pan of shells and brought them over while the others began serving themselves the salad and garlic bread that were already on the table. The women chatted as they ate. Bernadette noticed a certain wariness between Katherine and Penny, as if they were both uncertain of how to act around each other. Toward the end of the meal Bernadette turned to Katherine and said "Katherine, Howard said you've been IMing with Raj?" Penny and Amy looked at Katherine with surprise.

Katherine shrugged "Just about _America's Next Top Model_, we're both addicts." She blushed slightly as she answered, which was not missed by Bernadette or Penny.

Bernadette said "Let us do the dishes." and shot a glance at Penny.

Penny understood the unspoken message "Yes, it's the least we can do since you cooked."

Katherine laughed. "I won't say no to that. As far as I'm concerned the worst part of cooking is the cleanup." She and Amy helped clear the table then went over and sat down on the couch to talk while Penny and Bernadette did the dishes.

Penny and Bernadette held a whispered conversation while they rinsed the dishes and loaded the dishwasher. Bernadette began it with "Did you see her blush when I mentioned Raj?"

"Yes! Do you think she likes him?" Penny said excitedly.

"I hope so." Bernadette replied. "Raj is such a sweetie. They'd be perfect together."

"I agree."

They closed the dishwasher and joined Katherine and Amy in the sitting area of the apartment.

"Does anyone know what they're going to the costume party as?" Katherine inquired.

"Howard and I are going as Robin Hood and Maid Marian." Bernadette replied.

"Amy, how about you?" Penny asked.

"Well, as you know I don't normally indulge in masquerade, but Sheldon suggested that I dress in my customary attire and go as one of the nameless background characters that populate the fictional realm."

"That's certainly a very…unique choice Amy." Katherine said.

"Every now and again a girl just has to get ca-razy, right bestie?"

"You bet, bestie." Penny smiled at Amy.

"What are you going as Penny?" Bernadette asked.

"I'm not sure. I haven't really thought about it yet."

"Oh! I just had the best idea!" Katherine sat straight up in her set. "Penny, you would look great as She-Ra."

"Who's She-Ra?"

"Penny, _please_ try not to make me feel old." Katherine mock begged.

"Sorry."

Katherine pulled up a picture on her laptop. "_This_ is She-Ra." she said as she passed the laptop to Penny.

Penny looked at a picture of a woman with long blond hair wearing a white mini dress and a red cape holding a sword. The ensemble was accessorized with gold winged coronet, boots, and breast plate. "That_ is_ a cool outfit; and I wouldn't need a wig. What's her story?"

"She's He-Man's twin sister. Check this out." Katherine took the laptop back and pulled up some videos.

"She rides a unicorn with wings! I always wanted one of those." Penny exclaimed.

"Notice how she needs a phallic symbol to get any power." Amy observed.

Penny pictured herself in the outfit. Then she pictured Leonard's reaction to her in the outfit. "I'm going as She-Ra!" She and Katherine high-fived.

"Now all we need is a costume for Katherine. Did you have anything in mind?" Amy queried.

"I did actually. I was thinking of going as Barbara Gordon."

"She was Batgirl and then Oracle right? Which version are you going as?" Penny asked. The other three women stared at her.

"Hey, I've been hanging around four comic book fans for the past four years. I learned a few things." Penny said.

"I'm going as the version portrayed by Yvonne Craig in the _Batman_ TV series."

"Ooh, then you get to wear a cute 60s outfit. Excellent choice." Bernadette commented. The other three women looked at her.

"I'm _engaged_ to one of those comic book fans." Bernadette defended herself.

"Why don't you go as Batgirl?"

"A couple reasons. One, I'm not keen on the idea of wearing a spandex cat suit in front of my students and colleagues. Two, the committee members can't be masked."

"Compelling reasons." said Amy

"I think so." Katherine smiled.

The women discussed details of their costumes and from there the women speculated on what the guys would be wearing.

"What do you think Raj will go as?" Penny asked the group.

"Howard says he's not telling anyone." Bernadette contributed. "He has a new costume and wants to surprise everyone."

"I wonder why?"

"He probably doesn't want any of the other guys to get in his way of picking up women." Penny suggested.

Katherine frowned which caused Penny and Bernadette to exchange gleeful looks. Katherine changed the subject by saying "Now that we have our costumes settled, how about watching a movie?" They other women agreed and they passed the rest of the evening watching DVDs.

Penny drove Bernadette and Amy home after the second movie ended. She dropped Amy off first so she and Bernadette could talk. "Bernadette, you see Raj a lot because of Howard. Has he ever said anything to make you think he's interested in Katherine?"

" No, but I haven't really brought her up in front of the boys since she and Leonard broke up." Bernadette responded.

"We need to get them together before the party so we can observe them."

"Good idea. What if we all met for dinner at Leonard and Sheldon's Friday and then we girls could go for drinks and a movie while the guys played their vintage video games?" proposed Bernadette.

"That would be perfect. I'll call her tomorrow to suggest it."

"Should we let Amy in on this?" Bernadette asked hesitantly.

"No, I love her but she'd be liable to spill the beans. We need to be subtle. Also, we can't let the boys find out before anything actually happens between them. So that means you can't tell Howard." said Penny.

"All right, but you know I'm not good under pressure." Bernadette said nervously.

"It's for a good cause Bernadette." Penny reassured her.

"I know. It'd be perfect if things worked out between them."

Penny frowned. "Bernadette, how do you think they'll deal with Raj's condition?'

"I don't know." Bernadette sighed "That is a problem isn't it?"

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><p><strong>Author note: I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<strong>


	5. The Dinner Discussion

**_The Verbal Variant_ - A sequel to _The English Element_**

Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with _The Big Bang Theory_ (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

* * *

><p>Chapter 5 - The Dinner Discussion<p>

Friday evening Leonard, Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj were gathered in Sheldon and Leonard's apartment unpacking the take-out and setting up for dinner. Amy had just asked where Penny and Katherine were when they walked in.

"Sorry we're late. Traffic was terrible." Katherine said.

"Let's sit down and dig in." said Leonard.

Sheldon sat in his usual spot on the couch with Bernadette in the middle and Howard on the far end. Amy sat in the chair next to Howard and Leonard in the chair next to Sheldon. Penny, Katherine and Raj sat on the floor across from the couch with Penny next to Leonard, Raj next to Amy, and Katherine in between them. While everyone began to eat and chat Katherine tried to think of a way to talk to Raj.

He wasn't drinking as the girls were leaving right after dinner to see a movie. They hadn't IM'd that week because she'd been hosting the Girls Night on Wednesday. Katherine had been surprised to realize how much she'd missed talking to Raj. Sheldon was giving one of his lectures when inspiration struck Katherine. While everyone's focus was on Sheldon, she slipped a steno pan and pen out of the front pocket of her laptop bag and slid it between herself and Raj.

**Hi** Katherine wrote and nudged the notepad until it bumped Raj.

Raj looked down at the pad and glanced toward Katherine, she had her face toward Sheldon but her eyes were on Raj. He smiled at her and wrote

**Hi **Raj wrote back

**I missed our chat this week**

**Me too.**

Katherine noticed Sheldon was finally drawing to the end of his spiel.

**How can we keep them from noticing what we're doing?**

**If you can bring up Barry Kripke to set Sheldon off, that should get us at least 20 minutes.**

**OK**

Katherine waited for the first lull in the conversation and said "I heard an interesting rumor at the university today."

"Katherine, we are hardly going to be interested in the humdrum activities of the Humanities Department." Sheldon said condescendingly.

Katherine ignored the insult and said "Actually it was about someone from your department, a Barry Kripke."

"Kripke!" Sheldon exclaimed

"What about him?" Leonard asked.

"According to the grapevine, The American Institute of Physics is considering asking him to host a workshop at their next conference."

"What!" Sheldon exploded and began a rant on how the AIP kept rewarding mediocrity.

**That was a genius idea. **Katherine wrote once everyone's attention had returned, however unwillingly, to Sheldon.

**Thank you. You think quick on your feet. I was impressed.**

**Thanks. What's new with you?**

Katherine and Raj kept up their written conversation while keeping an eye and ear on Sheldon's diatribe. Penny soon grew bored with Sheldon's monologue and started glancing around the room. She noticed that Katherine and Raj were turned toward each other and had their heads bent over something. She leaned forward to grab her drink off the coffee table and was able to see that they were writing in a notebook. Penny kept her face straight and sat back up. She looked at Bernadette and tried to signal her without anyone else noticing.

Bernadette had turned away from Sheldon to reach for another packet of soy sauce when she noticed Penny drumming her fingers insistently on the table. She looked up at Penny's face. When their eyes met Penny raised her eyebrows and ever-so-slightly tilted her head toward Katherine and Raj. Bernadette subtly nodded and turned back to get the soy sauce, shifting her gaze toward the couple. She noticed that they seemed very intent on something, but couldn't see what with all the takeout containers in the way. Bernadette stood up to see better and immediate drew everyone's attention.

"What are you doing babe?" Howard asked.

"I was just going to get some more water." Bernadette replied.

"While you're at it grab me one too."

Sheldon said insistently "As I was saying..." and everyone's focus returned to Sheldon. Bernadette walked behind Raj and Katherine on her way to the kitchen and saw that they were writing in a notebook. She gently kicked Penny as she passed her. Penny waited a moment then got up and joined Bernadette in the kitchen. Bernadette opened the fridge to grab bottled water while she and Penny had a whispered conversation with the refrigerator door shielding them from the group.

"Did you see it?" Penny said in a hushed tone.

"Yes. How cute are they?"

"So adorable."

"It looks like they figured out a way around the not talking problem."

"Yeah. We better get back before they get suspicious." The two women returned to their seats.

Shartly after that, Penny checked her watch. "We should get going if we want to make the movie ladies."

Everyone pitched in to clean up and then exchanged goodbyes. Raj reached down to pick up the pillow he'd been sitting on and noticed a folded piece of paper was tucked under it. After checking to make sure the other guys were busy getting the game set up he opened the paper to see it was the conversation he'd written with Katherine. He refolded the paper and put it in his pants pocket.

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><p>After the movie and drinks, Katherine, as designated driver, drove the other women home. She first dropped Penny and Bernadette at the apartment building (Howard would drive Bernadette home from there) and then took Amy home. Amy was a bit tipsy and was humming and singing Katy Perry's <em>Last Friday Night<em>.

Katherine decided to start a conversation. "So Amy, we haven't really talked in a while. How have you been?"

Amy replied "Excellent. It's just been a whirl of social activity since Penny and I have become besties."

Katherine hid a smile "That's good. How are things with you and Sheldon?"

Amy frowned " 'Things' is rather vague. Could you clarify your inquiry?"

Katherine tried again "Are you still 'girl slash friend' and 'boy slash friend' or ...?

Amy's expression cleared "I see. You're asking if my relationship with Sheldon has gone from a friendship to a romance."

Katherine said "Yes."

Amy said "No." without elaborating.

Katherine thought _I can never decide if she and Sheldon do that deliberately or if they are really that socially inept _"How do you feel about that?"

Amy grew thoughtful "I have mixed emotions. On one hand, I enjoy my friendship with Sheldon as is. On the other hand, I'm a woman with needs Katherine."

Katherine raised her eyebrows "And you'd like Sheldon to...meet those needs?"

Amy answered "Yes."

Katherine was surprised. When she'd been dating Leonard both Sheldon and Amy had been emphatic about wanting their relationship being strictly platonic. In fact, they'd rarely spent time together in person, preferring to communicate via technology. "Have you made any attempt to change your relationship status?"

Amy said "Not a deliberate attempt."

Katherine demanded "That sounds like a story, spill it girl."

Amy confessed "A few months ago Sheldon accompanied Penny, Bernadette and I on a Girls Night Out. During the course of the evening I became rather inebriated and Sheldon escorted me home."

Katherine prompted "And?"

Amy continued "I invited him in for a refreshing Yoo-Hoo and then proceeded to kiss him. After which I threw up. Repeatedly."

Katherine was flabbergasted and curious "What was Sheldon's reaction to the kiss?"

Amy thought for a few moments and the responded "He said 'Fascinating' and then the next day we agreed to treat our relationship like a crashed computer and restore it to the point it last worked."

Katherine almost drove through a red light "Whoa-whoa-whoa! You kissed Sheldon and all he said was 'Fascinating' ?"

Amy replied "Yes."

"Dr. Sheldon Cooper? The paranoid germaphobe?"

"I wouldn't say he's a _paranoid_ germaphobe, but yes."

"You may have a chance Amy."

Amy said excitedly "You think so?"

Katherine grew serious "Well, I wouldn't take the odds to Vegas, but if you kissed Sheldon and he didn't immediate try to locate something to sterilize his mouth with, I think you've got a shot."

"There does seem to be some veracity to your reasoning. He did put a towel under my head and remove my glasses before leaving me to sleep it off on the bathroom floor."

Katherine said "That was very considerate." thinking _For Sheldon._

The women rode in silence for a short time and then Amy spoke. "Katherine, you're a woman of the world."

"I'm a woman and I'm in the world." Katherine agreed cautiously.

"How can I pique Sheldon's libidinous interest? The romantic comedies you girls have been having me watch have myriad madcap schemes for attracting male attention and I'm not sure which one would work best."

Katherine was alarmed at the possibility of Amy trying to re-enact a scene from a movie with Sheldon. "I don't think those strategies would work on Sheldon. They are used on ordinary men and Sheldon ... is not your average guy."

"That is true."

Katherine said "I think you need to take a scientific approach."

"That would play to my strengths."

Katherine suggested "Observe Sheldon's reactions to various stimuli. Then once you've collected the data you can formulate a strategy. I think you need to keep in mind Newton's third law of motion."

Amy asked "How so?"

"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So you need to figure out what action by you will get the reaction from Sheldon you desire."

"That's actually quite brilliant." Amy seemed surprised.

"Thank you."

"It's a shame you wasted your intelligence in the Humanities."

Katherine couldn't resist. "Yeah, I'm kind of a slacker that way. The sciences would have required me to make an actual effort. Getting my doctorate in Literature and becoming an English professor meant I could just coast."

Amy was oblivious to the sarcasm "Shrewd, it freed you up for a social life."

"That was the plan."

Amy returned to Katherine's suggestion. "You mentioned observing Sheldon's reaction to stimuli; what did you have in mind?"

"At the costume party if any women flirt with Sheldon; you can see how he reacts to their attempts."

Amy looked unhappy at the thought of other women flirting with Sheldon.

Katherine continued "Also, when guys flirt with you, you can see if Sheldon gets jealous. That would be another good sign."

Amy was incredulous "Men flirting with _me_?"

"Why not?"

Amy mused "My pelvis does have a certain come hither quality."

Katherine thought _I am not touching that one._

Katherine pulled up in front of Amy's apartment building. "Here we are."

"Thank you Katherine. Would you mind if I continued to discuss this with you? Penny is my bestie but she doesn't have a lot experience wtih intellectual men."

Katherine smiled "No problem. We'll get together after the party and discuss your observations."

"I look forward to it." Amy said.

* * *

><p><strong>Author note: Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapters. I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<strong>


	6. The Masked Meeting

**_The Verbal Variant_ - A sequel to _The English Element_**

Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with _The Big Bang Theory_ (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

* * *

><p>Chapter 6 - The Masked Meeting<p>

_Anything Can Happen Thursday_

Sheldon and Leonard crossed the hall to Penny's apartment to pick up Amy and Penny to go to the costume party. Sheldon was dressed as The Flash and Leonard was dressed as Captain Kirk. Leonard knocked on Penny's door. Penny opened the door and the sight of her took Leonard's breath away. "You make a fantastic She-Ra." he said.

"Thank you." Penny replied.

Amy walked out of the apartment dressed as usual in an oversized sweater and calf-length skirt. Penny had persuaded Amy to let her do her make-up and to get a manicure. Amy was also wearing a pair of bright yellow heels purchased on a shopping trip with Bernadette and Penny.

They arrived at the university and walked into the multi-purpose hall. A sign at the door announced that they were entering Vauxhall Gardens. The entered to find the utilitarian space transformed. Potted plants and trees lined the walls which were also hung with floral garlands. The ceiling was draped with purple silk and twinkling white lights, mimicking an evening sky. Reproductions of period artwork stood on easels scattered throughout the space. One end of the room held musicians on a dais with space cleared for dancing before them. On the wall across from the musicians were recreations of the Vauxhall boxes, reserved for VIP guests. Between the boxes and the dance floor were tables draped with white cloths and floral and candle centerpieces.

Sheldon sniffed "I see they couldn't decide between the eighteenth and nineteenth century."

"I think it looks beautiful."

"Thank you Penny." Katherine approached her friends. She was wearing a brunette wig styled in a bob. A purple suit with a gold scoop neck blouse accessorized with gold jewelry from which dangled tiny gold bats. A gold bat belt buckle and an ID badge proclaiming _Gotham City Public Library; Barbara Gordan PhD_. completed the look.

"Wow, I almost didn't recognize you with that wig." Leonard remarked.

Amy and Penny complimented Katherine on the décor, and she pointed out some of the features to them. "Be sure to check out the courtyard. Howard and Bernadette just went out there. Is Raj here yet?"

"We haven't seen him." Sheldon answered.

"Have fun guys. I have to go circulate." Katherine walked over to another group of guests. Leonard and Penny headed to the dance floor and Sheldon and Amy went to look over the refreshments.

* * *

><p>About an hour later, Raj entered the party dressed as Nightwing.<strong>*<strong> His heart was pounding as he prepared to make a trial of his plan. He had modified the Nightwing costume to include a Batman style cowl. He knew most of the guests wouldn't realize the inaccuracies and he had a story prepared for the few that might. Raj had been trying to figure out a way he could talk to Katherine without alcohol, drugs or technology. The costume party had provided him with an opportunity; he thought that he might be able to speak to women if he was hidden behind a mask. He had practiced on two women successfully and was now ready to attempt to speak to Katherine.

Katherine stood by the buffet tables choosing from the delicacies offered. She had finished her first bout of schmoozing potential donors and was planning to get some food and find her friends when she heard a voice behind her.

"It's a shame to hide your beautiful titian hair under a wig."

Katherine turned to see a man dressed as Nightwing; a mask and cowl shaded his features but he seemed somewhat familiar. "Do I know you?" she asked.

"Barbara Gordon knows Nightwing very well, does she not?"

"True." Katherine responded, intrigued. _He must be someone I know or he wouldn't have known I have red hair. And he knows comics well enough to know about Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon's history. It might be Raj, but he's speaking with an American accent._

Raj was almost overwhelmed with emotions. He was elated that his plan was working, stunned to be actually talking to Katherine while sober, and nervous that his American accent would slip. He decided to ask Katherine to dance to minimize conversation.

"Care to dance?"

"I'd love to." The musicians were mixing period music in with modern numbers and had just begun to play a waltz. Raj took Katherine into his arms and swept her onto the dance floor. For a few moments they danced in silence, content to enjoy holding each other.

"You dance very well." Katherine said sincerely.

"So do you." Raj returned the compliment.

A few songs later the musicians took a break, Raj and Katherine had ended the last dance by the doors leading out to the courtyard. "How about a stroll in the moonlight?" Raj asked.

"That sounds lovely." Katherine replied. They walked out into the courtyard, which had been decorated to suggest the famed Dark Walk of Vauxhall Gardens. Secluded nooks abounded and the air was perfumed with roses and gardenias. As they walked Katherine tried to think of a way to discover if her cavalier was Raj or not. Just then a particularly bright star caught her eye and inspiration struck. "The stars are so clear tonight. I wish I knew where the constellations were."

"Any one in particular?"

"Capricorn."

"It's right… there." Raj said pointing. "Did you know Capricorn was one of the 48 constellations named by Ptolmey?"

"I didn't know that." Katherine replied while trying to keep a straight face. She thought _I knew it! It has to be Raj. What are the odds some random guy would know about constellations. Plus his accent is slipping. _"Ptolmey huh? Capricorn must have a lot of history then."

"It certainly does. It's thought to be named for the goat that suckled Zeus. But it's been recognized as a constellation since at least the Middle Bronze Age." Raj suddenly realized he might be giving himself away. "Uh, I saw a special on the Discovery Channel."

"Oh." Katherine said while struggling to keep her composure. The American accent was back and even thicker.

After walking once around the courtyard, Raj led Katherine to a hidden alcove he had discovered when he toured the area before entering the party. A beam of moonlight was bright enough to make the gardenias almost glow. A row of topiaries screened them from the rest of the courtyard and a fountain burbled musically nearby. "What a beautiful spot." Katherine said softly.

"Not a beautiful as you." Raj said, gently drawing her to him.

Katherine's heart sped up. The moment was perfect, everything she could have dreamed, if she only knew for certain she was with Raj. _If he isn't Raj... _she thought _but who else could he be? Screw it! For once in my life I'm not playing it safe. I'll take the gamble. _Smiling up at him she asked flirtatiously "Why do I feel like I'm about to be kissed?"

Raj's heart was pounding. "You're not afraid of a kiss are you?"

"A kiss can be deadly."

"Only if you mean it."******

Both smiled at the reference. Raj put one hand on Katherine's waist and cupped her face with the other. They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment and then he lowered his lips to hers as their eyes slowly slid shut. The kiss began soft and gentle, but gradually the intensity increased. The couple broke apart reluctantly, realizing the setting was not conducive for more than a kiss. Before either could speak, Katherine's cellphone rang. "Damn it!" Katherine said with heartfelt intensity as she looked at the text.

"What is it?" Raj asked with concern.

"I have to go back inside. The planning committee has to gather onstage so we can be publicly thanked." Katherine bit her lip, looking as torn as she felt. "Will you wait for me here?"

Raj wanted to say yes, but he knew he couldn't continue to stay masked much longer and without the mask, everything would fall apart. He looked at his watch and replied "I'm afraid I can't fair maiden. I have to leave also."

Katherine wanted to protest, but if it was Raj she trusted he had a good reason. "I'll bid you farewell then good sir."

Raj picked a gardenia and handed it to Katherine. "A memento of a lovely evening."

"I won't have any trouble remembering tonight." Katherine smiled and then walked out of the alcove to return to the party. Raj watched her leave and took a gardenia for himself. He slipped through the greenery to return to his car and avoid the party.

The group was sitting together at a table when the committee gathered on stage. They all looked for Katherine. "Do you see that?" Bernadette asked Penny in a whisper.

"Yes, she's practically glowing! I wonder what happened." Penny responded.

"I don't know. I haven't even seen Raj, have you?"

"No."

"Share with the group girls." Amy demanded.

"We were just wondering where Raj was." Penny replied smoothly. "Has anyone seen him?" Everyone answered no.

"That's weird. He said he was going to be here." Howard commented.

"Maybe he got lucky." Leonard joked. Penny and Bernadette crossed their fingers.

* * *

><p><strong>*<strong> Nightwing is the name Dick Grayson took as a solo superhero when he retired from being Robin.

******Reference is to an exchange between Batman and Catwoman in _Batman Returns_

* * *

><p><strong>Author note: I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<strong>


	7. The PostParty Predicament

**The Verbal Variant - A sequel to The English Element**

Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with The Big Bang Theory (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

* * *

><p>Chapter 7 – The Post-Party Predicament<p>

Katherine sat in her office Friday morning daydreaming about the previous night. She should have been preparing for her first class, but she couldn't help thinking about the kiss. _I can't imagine_ _what Raj will do next_ she thought. Just then there was a knock at her door. "Come in." Katherine said.

Molly, the department assistant, poked her head in. "Katherine, these were just delivered for you." She brought in a wrapped bouquet of flowers.

Katherine unwrapped the papers and squealed. Three perfect stargazer lilies on a bed of baby's breath and ferns were before her, tied with pink ribbons. "My favorites!" she exclaimed. Katherine grabbed the vase she kept in the office and went to go fill it with water. Molly followed her out.

"Who are the flowers from?" Molly asked.

"I didn't look at the card yet." Katherine said.

"You don't have any idea?" Molly persisted.

"I might have met someone at the party last night." Katherine admitted.

"And he sent you flowers the next day? He's a keeper Katherine." Molly returned to her desk.

Katherine filled the vase and went back to her office. She set the card aside until she had the flowers arranged. She sat with the card in her hand looking at the flowers for a moment_. I know I've mentioned to Raj that stargazer lilies are my favorite flower._ She took a deep breath and opened the card.

**Barbara,**

**Thanks for a lovely evening spent with an even lovelier woman.  
><strong>

**Nightwing**

_So that's how he wants to play it. I guess I'll have to wait for his next move._

* * *

><p>Late that afternoon Katherine was straightening up her desk before going home. Penny, Bernadette and Amy walked into her office. "We're taking you out to celebrate a phenomenally successful party." Penny announced.<p>

"That's so sweet of you guys. Let me just grab my bag." Katherine replied.

"Those flowers are gorgeous Katherine. Who sent them?" Bernadette asked.

Katherine smiled. "I don't know."

"How can you not know?" Amy inquired.

"They're from a secret admirer."

"Oh how romantic!" Penny exclaimed. She grabbed the card before Katherine could stop her. "Nightwing?" Penny asked.

"It's a guy I met at the party last night. He was dressed like Nightwing. We didn't exchange our real names."

"How did he know where to send the flowers?" Amy asked.

"He must have known who I was." Katherine replied.

"Did you recognize him?" Bernadette asked.

Katherine hesitated before answering "No." Penny and Bernadette exchanged looks. Katherine picked up the vase. "I want to bring them home with me."

"I don't blame you." Penny said. The girls all left the office and headed out for drinks and dinner.

Later that night the boys were in Sheldon and Leonard's apartment. The second scheduled break of the evening had just begun and Raj was checking his cell for messages while everyone else got drinks and hit the bathroom. He'd been thinking about Katherine all day and had had to endure several lectures from Sheldon due to his lack of attention at work. He decided to text her.

Raj: **Hi**

Katherine: **Hi. What's up?**

Raj: **On break from games. Just wanted to tell you that the party was great.**

Katherine: **Thanks. I didn't see you there.**

Raj: **I was around. It looked like you found a guy.**

Katherine: **Maybe**

Raj: **?**

Katherine: **I don't know who he is. He never gave me his name.**

Raj: **Interesting. Do you think you'll see him again?**

Katherine: **I hope so. He sent me beautiful flowers today.**

Katherine: **And he's an amazingly good kisser.**

Raj:** !**

Katherine: **Since I don't know who he is, I'll just have to wait till he reveals himself**.

Raj: **You're not going to try to find out who he is?**

Katherine: **I trust he has his reasons. **

Just then Sheldon announced that there were only thirty seconds left in the break.

Raj: **Break is over G2G**

Katherine: **C U L8R**

* * *

><p>Saturday morning Penny went across the hall to mooch coffee. After exchanging greetings with Leonard and snide remarks with Sheldon, she secured a cup of coffee and decided to get some information from Leonard. "Leonard, who is Nightwing." she asked.<p>

"Well, the first Nightwing was a Kryptonian superhero. Then Dick Grayson assumed the identity when…"

Penny interrupted "Okay that was a mistake. Let me rephrase. Does Nightwing have any connection to Barbara Gordon?"

"Yeah. There's a connection between Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon."

"A romantic connection?"

"Yes. Since when are you so curious about comic book characters?" Leonard asked.

"You know how I love comic books." Penny said brightly.

"Yeah, just as much as you _love_ science." Leonard said sarcastically.

"Ha, Ha." Penny turned to leave.

"Penny, do you want to do something tonight?"

"Sure, what's everyone doing?"

"No, I meant just us."

"Oh. Yeah, that would be great." Penny beamed at Leonard. They decided on dinner and a movie and set a time. Penny went back to her apartment and picked up her phone to call Bernadette.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bernadette, it's Penny."

"Hi Penny, what's going on?"

"Leonard just asked me out on a date, just the two of us!"

"That's great. It's about time."

"I know. It's just..." Penny trailed off.

"I know." Bernadette said sympathetically.

"Oh, I asked Leonard about Nightwing."

"What did he say?"

"Turns out there is a romantic past between Nightwing and Barbara Gordon."

"Ooh! I bet Raj was the guy at the party who sent Katherine flowers. That's why he kept his costume a secret and went alone!"

"That's what I think. We've got to help them."

"Penny, they seem to be doing all right on their own."

"They're going at a snail's pace!" Penny retorted.

"You're one to talk."

"Hey!"

"Sorry. What did you have in mind?"

"You and Howard invite them both out to dinner, but don't let them know the other is coming. Then you and Howard leave early so they can be alone." Penny suggested.

"How on earth am I going to manage that? You know I'm no good with lies."

"You're smart. You'll think of something."

Bernadette sighed. "For their sakes I'll give it a shot." Penny and Bernadette said goodbye and hung up. After a few minutes of trying to figure out a plan, Bernadette called Howard. They talked for a few minutes and then when a lull in the conversation occurred, Bernadette put her plan into action.

"Howard, let's go out to dinner tonight; we'll get everybody together and go someplace nice." Bernadette suggested.

"Okay pumpkin."

"You call Raj and I'll take care of everyone else."

"You sure Bernie?" Howard asked.

"Of course sweetie, it was my idea. I'd call Raj too, but..."

"Yeah. You know it's late notice, people might have plans." Howard warned.

"I know, I'll just ask everyone and whoever shows up, shows up."

"Okay, I'll call you back after I talk to Raj."

"Love you sweetie."

"Love you too pumpkin."

Howard called Raj, who agreed to go under the impression that the whole gang would be there. Meanwhile Bernadette called Katherine, who likewise believed everyone was going. She then called Penny, who agreed to get Amy to hang out with Sheldon that night so that she and Leonard would have alone time. Then Bernadette made one more call.

"Mrs. Wolowitz, it's Bernadette. I need a favor."

* * *

><p><strong>Author note: Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapters. I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<strong>


	8. The Double Date Deception

**_The Verbal Variant_ - A sequel to _The English Element_**

**Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with The Big Bang Theory (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8 – The Double Date Deception<p>

Howard, Bernadette and Raj arrived at the restaurant. Once they were seated and had received their drinks Raj asked "Is this table going to be big enough? Who else is coming?"

Bernadette replied "Just Katherine." Raj choked on his drink.

Howard said "Everyone else was busy; you okay buddy?"

"I'm fine."

Katherine walked in and stopped in surprise at seeing only three others. "I thought everyone was going to be here. Where is everyone?"

"Leonard and Penny are on a date and Sheldon and Amy are doing laundry and playing Counterfactuals." Bernadette said glibly.

"Of course, Saturday night is laundry night. Leonard and Penny are on a date, huh? About time."

"You're really okay with your ex dating someone you're friends with?" Howard asked.

"Yes. It's been over three months; it's time we all moved on." Katherine replied.

Raj was overjoyed; he had been concerned that there might be unresolved issues between Katherine and Leonard, but it seemed that they had both moved on. Leonard was with Penny and Katherine seemed fine with it. While the others chatted Raj looked at Katherine. She was wearing a green silk dress with a halter strap, sweetheart neckline and a full, tea length skirt.

_She __looks __beautiful_ he thought. Howard asked Raj a question and drew him into the conversation.

Katherine took a sip of her iced tea and covertly looked at Raj. _He__ looks __really__ good__ in__ a__ suit__ jacket_ she thought, her gaze drawn to his shoulders. He turned his head to respond to something Bernadette had said and Katherine admired his profile and jaw line.

The four friends had an enjoyable evening of conversation and dinner. Katherine noticed that Bernadette kept checking her watch, especially toward the end of the meal. They had just ordered dessert when Howard's phone rang. "It's Ma. Excuse me while I take this."

"Ma, what is it? You know I'm out with my friends." Howard got an alarmed expression on his face.

"What! How did that happen?" Howard listened intently for a few minutes.

"Okay, okay. I'll be right there." He hung up the phone. "Uh listen guys, there's a small emergency at home, Bernadette, we have to go."

"Is everything all right with your mom?" Katherine asked in concern.

"Yeah, it's just a minor personal situation. Don't worry about it. Katherine, can you give Raj a ride home?"

"Of course."

Howard hustled Bernadette out the door, leaving Raj and Katherine alone. They sat in silence for a moment. "I hope nothing is seriously wrong with Mrs. Wolowitz." Katherine said.

"Knowing Howard's mother it probably isn't so much serious as…embarrassingly personal." Raj supplied.

"Oh." Katherine said lamely "Still I feel kind of strange staying, should we leave?"

"There's nothing we can do and we did already order dessert."

"I suppose you're right."

"And, we don't get a chance to talk alone that often."

"We talk every week." Katherine teased.

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, I do." The waiter brought over the desserts. They divided up Bernadette and Howard's choices and began to eat. Katherine decided to take advantage of the opportunity she had been given. "So, you say you saw me with my mystery man at the party?"

"Uh, yeah." Raj was puzzled and concerned at her choice of topics.

"What did you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"I could use a guy's opinion. Did it look like he was into me?" Katherine was amused at how nervous Raj was.

"I guess. I'm not really comfortable discussing this."

"Why not?"

"Uhh…" Raj's mind was blank with panic.

"Okay. How about this; if you were the guy, would you have gone to all this trouble if you didn't have strong feelings for the girl?"

"No." Raj answered honestly.

"Hmm. I wonder why he set up this elaborate scheme, but hasn't revealed himself yet?"

"Maybe there's more to the plan." Raj suggested.

"I don't know why he would bother; he must know I'd be interested after that incredible kiss." Katherine affected a dreamy look while covertly watching for Raj's reaction.

Raj smiled smugly for a moment before he could stop himself. "Perhaps he wants you to be sure, not just sweep you away with the glamour of romance."

Katherine hid her own smile. "How can I make sure without seeing him again?"

"I'm sure he's just waiting for the perfect moment."

"If he waits too long the moment may pass."

The conversation moved to other topics after this. They soon finished the desserts and left the restaurant. Katherine had found a parking spot nearby and they were soon in the car and on their way. All too soon, Katherine pulled up in front of Raj's apartment building. "Thanks for the ride." Raj said.

"You're welcome."

Raj hesitated, _Should__ I__ make__ a __move_ he thought _Do __I__ really__ want__ to__ do __this __when__ I__'__ve__ been__ drinking?__ How__ else__ is__ it__ going__ to__ happen?__ I__ haven__'__t__ come __clean__ about__ the__ costume__ party__ yet.__ Maybe__ I__ should__ wait __a__ little __longer.__ But__ I__ don__'__t__ want__ to__ do __nothing._"Katherine, um, you looked really pretty tonight."

"Thank you Raj." Katherine leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You're sweet." Raj blushed and hastily exited the car while saying goodnight. Katherine sighed as she pulled back into traffic. _Maybe__ I__ should__ have__ been__ more __obvious,__ but__ I__ didn__'__t__ want __to__ come __on __too__ strong.__ I__ wish__ I__ knew__ what __to __do__… _She drove back to her apartment mulling the situation with Raj over. She got ready for bed still thinking things over.

Katherine climbed into bed and came to a decision. _Okay, __I__'__m __about__ 99__ percent__ sure__ that __Raj__ was__ Nightwing.__ I__'__m__ equally__ sure__ that __he__'__s __attracted __to__ me.__ Considering__ his__ selective__ mutism __I__'__m__ not __going__ to__ get__ a__ passionate__ declaration,__ not__ a__ sober__ one__ at__ any __rate.__ At __his__ current __rate __it__ could__ take __months __for __Raj__ to__ get__ the__ courage__ to__ do __anything__ decisive.__ If__ I__ want__ things __to __progress__ between__ us__ soon,__ I__'__m__ going__ to __have __to __be __the__ one__ that__ initiates __it.__ Okay, __the__ next__ opportunity__ I__ get, __I__'__m __going __for __it. __I__ should__ have __finagled__ an__ invite__ up __for __coffee.__ Once__ I__ was __in__ his__ place __I__ could__ have__…_Katherine fell asleep at that point and proceeded to have some very pleasant dreams about what might have happened

Meanwhile Raj was lying in his own bed thinking over the evening. _I __should __have __gone __for __it.__ I__'__m __pretty __sure __she __was __flirting __with me__ over __dessert __and __then __after __she __kissed __me __in __the __car__s she __looked__ at__ me __like__ she__ was__ expecting__ something. __I__ think__ she__ suspects__ I__ was__ Nightwing__ too__…__those__ questions__ she __was__ asking __me__ make __more __sense__ if __she__ suspected__ the__ guy__ was __me.__ If__ I__ had__ been__ braver__ tonight__ she__ could__ be __with__ me__ right__ now.__ I__ could__ have__ at__ least __invited__ her __up__ for__ coffee__ or__ tea __and__ then__ maybe__…_ Raj spent a few enjoyable minutes thinking about what he and Katherine could have been doing. _The __next __chance __I __get__ I'__m d__efinitely __making __a __move._

* * *

><p>Author note: Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapters. I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<p> 


	9. The Makeover Manuever

**_The Verbal Variant_ - A sequel to _The English Element_**

Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with The Big Bang Theory (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

* * *

><p>Chapter 9 – The Makeover Manuever<p>

Sunday morning Penny got a text from Bernadette: **Mrs.**** W ****came ****through. R ****and ****K ****left**** alone. ****Don****'****t ****know ****what ****happened ****after ****we ****left**.

Penny danced around her apartment in excitement. Raj and Katherine were so cure together. Plus, if she was honest with herself, she'd feel more secure with Leonard if Katherine was dating someone. Penny decided to call Katherine. She dug through the assortment of items on her coffee table until she unearthed her phone.

"Hey Penny. What's got you up so early?" Katherine asked.

"I have to work lunch shift today. Plus I'm excited that my date with Leonard went really well last night."

"How well?" Katherine teased.

"None of your beeswax."

"That means you got some." Katherine giggled.

Penny changed the subject. "Enough about me. How did the group dinner go last night?"

"Not much of the group, just Howard and Bernadette, Raj and I."

"Anything interesting happen?" Penny asked hopefully.

"Howard revealed that he has received an invitation to join the Unorthodox Engineers."

"Is that some kind of Jewish organization?"

Katherine sighed. "Never mind, Leonard obviously hasn't corrupted you enough yet. We had a nice dinner…Oh! Except that something happened to Howard's mother, and he and Bernadette had to leave before dessert. I should call them to make sure everything is okay."

"Oh gosh!" Penny faked concern, knowing Bernadette had persuaded Mrs. Wolowitz to fake the call. "So what happened with you and Raj after they left?"

Katherine answered laconically. "We ate dessert and I drove him home."

"That's it?" Penny asked in disappointment.

"What were you expecting?" Katherine was suspicious.

Penny evaded the question. "Anything new from your secret admirer?"

"Nothing since the flowers."

"How about Girls Night Out on Wednesday?"

"Sure, what do you have in mind?"

A plan started to develop in Penny's brain. "How about dancing at a club?"

"Ugh."

"C'mon, it'll be good for Amy." The plan developed further "We'll give her a makeover."

"Why?" Katherine asked in bewilderment.

"She wants to do typical girly things. Getting a makeover from your friends is one of those things she's never had before."

Katherine felt the tug on her heart strings "I suppose it is."

"We'll do you too."

"What? Why?" Katherine was appalled.

"For moral support."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the only other single gal." Penny crossed her fingers, hoping she had convinced Katherine.

"Fine, but you are going to owe me big time for this one. And I better not end up looking like a Kardashian or a cast member of_ Jersey Shore_!"

"I promise it will be very tasteful. Hmm, Bernadette has lunch shift on Wednesday and I'm off. Can you get out of work early that day?"

"Yeah, my classes are done at three and I can get away with canceling office hours for one afternoon. Why?"

"We need to shop before the makeover. Plus we'll get mani/pedis and dinner. Then we'll come back here for the makeovers before we hit the club."

"An afternoon and evening right out of a bad chick flick. You will owe me _huge_."

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday evening<strong>

Penny, Bernadette, Amy and Katherine were in Penny's apartment in the midst of the makeovers of Katherine and Amy. Amy was enthusiastic; Katherine was cranky, but trying to hide it. Amy had initially been unsure about the project, but Katherine had pulled her aside and convinced her that it would be useful as part of her research for changing her relationship status with Sheldon. Amy had then thrown all of her considerable enthusiasm behind the makeover.

Penny had captained the makeovers with Bernadette as her second in command. As Bernadette finished styling Katherine's hair, Katherine watched Penny finish Amy's makeup. Penny had wisely refused Amy's request for Cleopatra style makeup, and had instead gone for dramatic natural. Katherine, however, had not been so lucky. Based on the few glimpses into the mirror she had managed to steal she was certain she was going to end up looking like she could be rented by the hour. Katherine had managed to keep Penny from putting her in anything sequined, but Penny had insisted on higher hemlines and lower necklines then Katherine generally wore.

"All right, we are done ladies." Penny announced. Bernadette aimed a final shot of hairspray at Katherine's head and stood back. _Finally,_ Katherine thought, _let__'__s__ get__ this__ over__ with._ She and Amy headed for the full length mirror in Penny's bedroom.

Penny and Bernadette cleaned up the supplies as Katherine and Amy used the mirror. "Do you think this will work?" Bernadette whispered to Penny.

"It can't hurt to get Sheldon and Raj to see them more glammed up then usual. Men are primarily visually stimulated."

"Very good Penny. Amy's been rubbing off on you." Bernadette was impressed.

"Nah, I got that one from _Cosmo_."

Bernadette raised her voice. "Amy, Katherine, we have to get going. The cab will be here shortly and I want to pop next door to wish my Howard good luck for _Hal_o."

The girls headed out into the hall. As Penny locked the door, Amy whispered to Katherine, "I'm having second thoughts about allowing Sheldon to see me tarted up like a streetwalker."

"Remember, we talked about seeing his reaction to different stimuli. Besides, you don't look like a streetwalker."

Amy seemed slightly disappointed. "Not even a little?"

"Maybe a little, but not a streetwalker, more like an escort."

Amy brightened. "I did think this dress brought out my pelvis." Penny had convinced Amy to buy a silk wrap dress with a chiffon overlay in turquoise with a yellow print. The skirt ended just below Amy's knees, several inches higher than her usual skirts. The fluttery cap sleeves gave the dress a much softer look than her typical boxy sweaters. Pearl drop earrings and a delicate necklace finished the look. She was also wearing the yellow heels purchased on an early shopping trip.

The girls walked into the apartment just minutes before _Halo_ was due to commence. Bernadette and Penny went over to Howard and Leonard to say goodbye and wish them good luck. Amy nervously approached Sheldon, whose jaw had dropped at his first sight of her.

Katherine remained near the door, which placed her closest to Raj, who was at the opposite end of the couch from Sheldon. She was too uncomfortable and insecure about her outfit to talk. Raj had been struck speechless, even more than usual, at his first sight of Katherine. She was wearing a violet mini dress with a tightly fitted bodice; the skirt flared out from her hips. Her hair had been piled on top of her head, but a few tendrils caressed her neck. She wore a wide silver bracelet on one wrist and strappy silver sandals on her feet. Raj had never seen her in anything like it and while he was enjoying the view, he really didn't like the idea of her going to a club like that. _She__'__ll__ have__ guys__ crawling __all__ over__ her_ he thought unhappily.

The girls left and the boys started playing _Halo_. Both Sheldon and Raj were unusually quiet during the beginning of the game. Raj remained quiet and distracted, while Sheldon got more and more agitated and critical as the game continued. Finally Sheldon threw a fit over a tiny error Howard and Leonard made and declared the game to be over. He stormed off to his room. "What was bugging him tonight?" Howard asked.

"It's Sheldon. It could be anything." Leonard replied. "We can still play without him."

"Actually, I'm kind of tired. I think I'll be heading home." Raj said. "I'll see you both tomorrow." He left the apartment.

"Do you have the feeling we're missing something?" Leonard asked Howard.

"What do you mean?"

"With Raj and Sheldon. They were acting kind of strange tonight." Leonard replied.

"Raj and Sheldon, acting strange? How could you tell?" Howard joked.

"I mean it. Something is going on with those two."

"We're with them both all the time. What could be going on with them that we don't know about?"

Raj sat at the bottom of the stairway and checked Amy's Facebook pictures and updates. Sure enough she had posted shots of the girls dancing and the name of the club they were at. Katherine was dancing with Zack in a couple of the pictures.

Grimly determined, Raj headed for the club.

* * *

><p><strong>Author note: Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapters. I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<strong>


	10. The Drinking Dilemma

**_The Verbal Variant_ - A sequel to _The English Element_**

Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with The Big Bang Theory (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10 – The Drinking Dilemma<strong>

Raj walked into the club and looked around; he spotted Katherine dancing with Zack. She looked like she was having a great time. He walked over to the bar to order a drink and keep an eye on Katherine.

Bernadette saw Raj at the bar. "Penny look! It's Raj!" she said pointing at the bar.

"Ha! I told you it would work. We have to keep out of the way." Penny dragged Bernadette to the other side of the club.

_I'm bored; I have a headache, and my feet are killing me_. Katherine thought_. Thank God we came across Zack; at least he's keeping the sleazebags away... I can't dance anymore, my feet are on fire. _Katherine signaled Zack that she wanted to take a break, and they headed for an empty table. _Ugh, I will never understand why the music in these places is so loud it causes hearing damage. I am not looking forward to chatting with Zack. He's a sweet guy but...I've been spoiled by dating Leonard and hanging out with the rest of the guys.  
><em>

Katherine and Zack ordered drinks from a passing waitress and Katherine steeled herself for more conversation with Zack. "So Zack, how's work?"

"Awesome! We just got three more clients and Dad put me in charge of raising employee morale."

"How's that going?"

"I haven't started yet. I have to look into how much renting a crane costs." Zack said seriously.

"Why do you need a crane?" Katherine was puzzled.

"To raise the morale."

Katherine had no response to that. Luckily the waitress returned with their drinks at that moment. Katherine took a hefty swallow of hers, even though she'd already had more than she normally drank. "Katherine, what do you do?" Zack asked.

"I teach English Literature at Caltech."

"A teacher, cool. Caltech, that's where Leonard and the other guys work, right?"

"Yes."

"It's like a college, right?"

"Yeah, it's like a college." _I think I can actually feel my brain cells dying; of course, that could be from the alcohol. _Katherine thought.

"Whoa, you must be pretty smart to teach at a college."

"Not as smart as you'd think." _If I was smart I would have made a move on Raj last week and I could be hanging out with him right now instead of enduring this._

"English Literature. That's books and stuff?"

"Uh-huh." _I wonder where the other girls are. This is supposed to be GNO but I haven't seen them in at least an hour._

"Like that Shakespeare guy?"

"I do teach Shakespeare in a couple of my classes."

"I like that Hamlet dude. There's a skull and they fight with swords at the end." Zack remarked.

"There certainly is." _Well, at least he isn't getting it mixed up with something else._

"I don't get why he did all that talking and stuff, though. He should have just grabbed that Ophelia chick and split."

"It would have been… a _happier_ ending that way." Amy walked over at that point. She had also had a few drinks and was obviously tipsy.

"Zack, dance with me?" Amy asked. Zack looked at Katherine.

"Go ahead." _Thank God_ she thought. Zack took Amy's hand to lead her to the dance floor.

"Whoo!" Amy exclaimed.

Katherine had finished her drink and headed over to the bar for another. After getting a Midori Sour she looked around to see if she could find Bernadette or Penny. To her surprise she saw Raj.

She walked over to him. "Raj! Thank God! Come sit with me." She pulled him back to the table, which luckily no one had taken while she was gone.

Katherine started babbling about her evening; Raj quickly realized that she was slightly intoxicated.

"I'm so glad you're here. It's been awful." Raj was surprised. It had looked like she was having the time of her life with Zack. "All these sleazeballs were hitting on us until we ran into Zack. I had to keep dancing with him to avoid them."

"So you're not interested in him?" Raj was relieved.

"God no! I mean, he's a very sweet guy, but I have my secret admirer."

"Have you heard from him lately?"

"No, but I have the feeling he's been around." Katherine took a sip of her drink. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the middle of an epic _Halo_ battle?"

"Sheldon threw a fit about something and stormed off to bed so it ended early tonight."

Katherine slipped off a shoe and started rubbing her foot. "Do you feel like playing knight in shining armor?"

"What do you have in mind?" Raj inquired.

"Rescue this distressed damsel. I have a wicked headache and my feet are killing me. We find the girls, say I twisted an ankle and you're taking me home."

"Anything for a fair maiden." They stood up to look around the club. Raj spotted Penny and Bernadette across the dance floor on the other side of the club and they made their way over to them.

"Raj! What are you doing here?" Penny asked when she saw him.

"_Halo_ ended early." Raj explained.

"Guys, I twisted my ankle so Raj is going to take me home." Katherine said.

"Of course honey. You lie down and take the weight off your ankle." Bernadette said sympathetically. Katherine and Raj turned to leave the club and Penny and Bernadette exchanged high fives.

As they approached the door, Raj remembered his vow and tried to think of a way to prolong his interaction with Katherine. While Katherine called a cab as they stood outside, the stars in the sky caught his eye and gave him an idea. Once she finished the call, he said "You know, there is a great view of the Pleiades tonight."

Katherine seized the opportunity Raj had provided her. "Really? I'd love to see that."

"We could go to my place and take my telescope up to the roof."

"That sounds like a great idea." The cab pulled up shortly after and they got in.

Raj and Katherine attempted conversation during the cab ride, but it was unsuccessful due to their nerves and their feeling inhibited by the presence of the driver. They were both thankful when they pulled up in front of Raj's apartment building. They got Raj's telescope from his apartment, grabbing a bottle of wine and glasses as well, and went up to the roof. As Raj set up the telescope Katherine gazed at the night sky.

She recited "One thousand brilliant stars punched holes in my consciousness, pricking me with longing. I could stare at the stars for hours, their infinite number and depth pulling me into a part of myself that I ignored during the day." *

"That's beautiful." Raj said softly. "Here, it's all set." Katherine walked over and looked through the telescope.

"Wow! That's really pretty. What exactly am I looking at?"

Raj laughed. "In Greek mythology the Pleiades are the Seven Sisters, all daughters of Atlas. In India, they are known as Krittika, the six mothers of the war god Skanda. **  
><strong>

Raj showed Katherine a few more items through the telescope, and then they moved over to some lawn chairs and drank the wine they had brought up, while Raj pointed out the constellations. The conversation moved from discussing stars, to space travel, to science-fiction. The discussion of science-fiction coincided with the end of the bottle of wine. They decided to go back to Raj's apartment to watch _MST3K_'s take on _Fire Maidens of Outer Space.**_

They settled down on Raj's couch with a second bottle of wine. Both Raj and Katherine were more focused on each other than the film. _How can I broach the subject?_ Katherine thought _If I'm too subtle it might not work. I guess I'll have to try something bold. But what?_

Meanwhile Raj was thinking similar thoughts. _I don't want to come on too strong, that could make things weird if she's not ready yet. She did come to my place, that's a good sign. I wonder why it's so much easier to hit on strangers than girls you actually know?_

As the credits played Raj turned to Katherine and asked "What would you like to do now?" _If she wants to go home then that's it, but if she doesn't then..._

Katherine thought, _It's now or never, _she took a deep breath, then smiled wickedly and said "This" as she leaned in to kiss him with everything she'd been holding back since before the costume party.

Raj was momentarily startled, then he began kissing her back, his passion feeding hers. Things escalated quickly; Katherine was soon in Raj's lap, inhibitions lowered by the alcohol they had consumed. Raj's lips found Katherine's neck, causing her to gasp. She returned the favor, triggering a moan from Raj and his grip tightened on her hips. Katherine managed to get a hold of herself long enough to whisper "Bedroom?" in Raj's ear. He responded by scooping Katherine up in his arms and carrying her into his room, kicking the door shut behind him.

* * *

><p>*Maggie Stievater <em>Shiver<em>

_**MST3K is a common abbreviation for Mystery Science Theater 3000._

* * *

><p>Author note: Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapters. I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<p> 


	11. The Morning Aftermath

**_The Verbal Variant_ - A sequel to _The English Element_**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with <em>The Big Bang Theory<em> (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 11 – The Morning Aftermath<p>

Katherine woke with a pounding headache. She cautiously opened her eyes and was startled by the unfamiliar bedroom. She sat up and then groaned as the sudden movement made her headache worse. When she could think again she looked around the room and realized it wasn't as unfamiliar as she had first thought.

She slowly turned her head and saw black hair on the pillow next to her. _Please be Raj, Please be Raj_ she thought desperately. She fumbled for her glasses on the nightstand, then slid out of bed carefully and grabbed the first piece of clothing she could reach off the floor. It was a sweater vest. _That's a good sign_. Katherine put it on and tiptoed around the bed. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was indeed Raj. _Thank God, thank __all__ the gods._ She rummaged through several drawers until she found a t-shirt, and then headed for the bathroom, grabbing her purse from the living room on her way. After brushing her hair and downing some aspirin Katherine felt slightly more human. She dug her phone out of her purse and dialed the department assistant.

"Good morning, English Department, this is Mollie. How may I help you?"

"Mollie, this is Katherine Levin. I'm not feeling well today so I won't be in. Can you send out some e-mails cancelling my classes?"

"Of course. Do you have that cold that's going around?" Mollie asked sympathetically.

"I think I have a touch of food poisoning." _If you stretch a point, alcohol is food_.

"Feel better."

"Thank you."

Katherine noticed the time on her phone as she ended the call. She needed to wake Raj up so he could decide whether he was going to work or not. Grabbing the aspirin and a glass of water she returned to the bedroom. She set the water and pills on the nightstand and looked at Raj. _He's awfully cute when he's sleeping; I almost hate to wake him. _Katherine gently shook his shoulder while saying "Raj, Raj, you need to wake up." in a hushed tone.

Raj woke with the jostling. He cracked his eyes open to see who was shaking him. He got a glimpse of red hair and creamy skin before the worst headache of his life kicked in. He groaned and tried massaging his temples. "Here." the voice said. Raj opened his eyes half way and saw a glass of water and aspirin; he grabbed at them like a drowning man at a life preserver. He took the aspirin, drank the water, and then opened his eyes to see who the angel of mercy was. He saw Katherine standing by the side of the bed dressed only in his Drake Equation t-shirt. "Thank you for the aspirin."

Katherine eyes widened. "Raj! You're talking to me!"

"I am? I am! I think I'm in too much pain to be nervous."

"Well, that's a mixed blessing. It's 7:00 am; if your hangover is as bad as mine you'd better call Sheldon and tell him you're not coming in today."

Raj groaned. "Then I'll have to endure a lecture about missing work."

"You really want to spend eight hours with Sheldon and a hangover?"

"Good point. I'll tell him I think I have something contagious. Then he'll order me to stay home."

"That should work." Katherine sat down on the bed while Raj made the call. After he hung up she said "I vote we go back to sleep and deal with everything later."

"Everything?"

"You're not going to tell me you don't remember what happened last night?"

Raj hadn't had a chance to reflect or process anything yet. He noticed the clothing scattered all over his bedroom and memories of last night came flooding back. "Of course I remember."

"Good. Like I said, let's deal with it when our brains are back to functioning at full capacity." She got back into bed.

"Katherine?"

"Hmm?"

"I just have to ask one thing now in case I can't later. It's important"

Katherine leaned up on one elbow and looked at him. "What?"

"You don't regret us having sex do you?"

"No, of course not! I'm not thrilled that it happened when we were drunk, but I'm not sorry we had sex." Katherine frowned as a possibility occurred to her. "You're not sorry are you?"

"No! Not at all." Raj looked horrified that she would even think that.

"Good." Katherine leaned over to kiss his cheek, then snuggled up next to him with her head on his shoulder. "Now let's go back to sleep."

* * *

><p>Raj woke for the second time that Thursday to the sensation of a warm body curled around him. Katherine's head was on his shoulder, one arm was across his chest, and one leg was thrown over his. <em>I could get used to this<em> he thought happily. He brushed some hair off her face and she awoke, blinking sleepily. "Good morning again." Katherine said through a yawn.

Raj froze, the familiar panic paralyzing him. Katherine noticed the expression on his face. "Raj, can you talk to me?" He shook his head. Katherine sat up and looked at him, a thoughtful expression on her face. _She's going to tell me it's over_ he thought _She can't deal with this…_"Raj" she said, interrupting his panicked thoughts. "Honey, you know there's no reason you can't talk to me. Howard told me about the time you talked to Summer Glau when you were drinking non-alcoholic beer. Penny told me she made you apologize after that incident." Raj looked sheepish at the memory "You could this morning when your headache distracted you from being nervous. There's no reason to be nervous with me, you know I like you."

Raj knew she was right, but it wasn't so simple to break the habit of a lifetime. He attempted to speak a few times, then grew frustrated.

Katherine decided to try another method. _If logic doesn't work, maybe bribery will_. "How about this? I'm going to take a shower. If you can say just one word, you can join me." She summoned her most seductive tone and positively purred, "Raj, do you want to join me in the shower?" Katherine looked at him encouragingly and ran her hand over his chest.

Raj wanted to shower with Katherine more than he wanted intergalactic travel to be possible in his lifetime. _You can do this, it's just one word._ "Y-y-yes!"

Katherine beamed at him then kissed him passionately. She jumped out of bed, ran to his side and pulled him out, almost dragging him toward the shower. _I can __definitely__ get used to this_ Raj thought. They didn't get out of the shower until the hot water ran out.

* * *

><p>Katherine stood in Raj's bedroom, wrapped in a towel, contemplating the dress she had worn the previous night. "I can not wear <em>this<em> all day."

Raj paused in the middle of dressing to look at her. _If it was up to me you'd wear it everyday_ he thought.

Katherine reluctantly put the dress on. "How about this? We go over to my place so I can put on some real clothing and I'll make us lunch?"

"Okay."

"Let's see, we took a cab here last night. My car is over by Penny's apartment. What about yours?"

"Same."

"You took a cab from Sheldon and Leonard's to the club?" Raj nodded. "Were you drinking over there?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. Let's take a cab over there, get our cars and you can follow me to my place."

"Okay."

"Will you zip me up please?" Raj moved behind Katherine to help her. When she was zipped she turned around and put her arms around his neck. "Thank you." She said, then kissed him. "Is it getting easier to talk to me?"

"Yes."

"I'm not being too pushy am I?"

Raj shook his head. "Worth it" he said, pulling her to him for another kiss.

* * *

><p>Katherine unlocked the door to her apartment after she and Raj retrieved their cars. "Let me just change and then I'll start lunch." she said as she went into her bedroom, "Make yourself at home."<p>

Raj sat down on the couch and turned on the television. "Ooh! _Price is Right_!" Katherine emerged a few minutes later dressed in jeans and a t-shirt emblazoned with the words _Bas Bleu. _She went to the kitchen and whipped up a lunch of turkey sandwiches, carrot sticks and chips. She loaded everything onto a tray and brought it over to the couch.

They finished lunch during the Showcase Showdown. When the show ended Katherine turned off the TV; Raj turned to look at her. "We've put this off long enough; we need to talk." Raj made a face and Katherine laughed. "I know, but it needs to be done." She opened a drawer in the end table on the side of the couch and pulled out a pen and pad of paper. She handed them to Raj saying "Here, just in case." Raj nodded.

"I'll start." Katherine took a deep breath and said nervously "So…is this just a fling or do we want to date and see if this goes somewhere?"

"Date." Raj said firmly.

"Good, me too." Katherine was so obviously relieved and happy Raj had to kiss her. When they separated a few minutes later, Katherine resumed the conversation. "Now, do we want to tell everyone right away, or keep it to ourselves for awhile?" Raj drew a question mark on the pad of paper. Katherine made a face and said "If you are going to write, you have to use full sentences."

He wrote **Why keep it a secret?**

Katherine asked "Do you really want to start a new relationship under the scrutiny of your friends? And before you answer, how much did you guys tease Leonard about Penny?"

Raj looked chagrined. He wrote **You're right. It's probably best to keep it quiet at first. How long do you think?**

"A month?" Katherine suggested.

"Okay." Raj said.

"Now we've got that settled, and we have a whole afternoon off from work; do you have any ideas on how we should spend it?" Katherine asked suggestively.

"Yes." Raj said as he pulled her into his lap.

"You have great ideas." Katherine said just before they kissed.

* * *

><p><strong>Author note: Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapters. I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<strong>

**It'll be a couple days til the next chapter. I'm having trouble deciding between two scenarios.  
><strong>


	12. The Dating Deception

**_The Verbal Variant_ - A sequel to _The English Element_**

Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with The Big Bang Theory (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12 – The Dating Deception<br>**

It was a week after Raj and Katherine had started dating and they were spending a Saturday together, celebrating successfully keeping their secret from their friends. They had just returned to Raj's apartment after dinner and movie; Katherine had just made tea and was bringing it over to the couch when Raj had finally worked up the nerve to make a confession. "Katherine?" he began.*

"Yes darling?" she replied.

"I have to tell you something. You remember the costume party?"

Katherine smiled. "You were Nightwing, I know."

Raj was astonished. "How did you know?"

"Let's see, first you knew I had red hair even though I was wearing a wig. Second, you knew I was going as Barbara Gordon and you came as one of Dick Grayson's personas. Third, you gave a lecture on a constellation; not something most guys could do. Fourth, you sent me Stargazer lilies. And fifth, anytime I mentioned how good a kisser Nightwing was, you got ridiculously happy."

"I guess I wasn't as well disguised as I thought."

"It was an excellent disguise; it was just that your conversation gave you away. If I hadn't been hoping it was you, I probably wouldn't have guessed so quickly."

"You were hoping it was me?"

"Are you fishing for compliments?"

"I wouldn't mind hearing about how much you like my kisses again." Raj teased.

"I'd rather show you."

* * *

><p>One week later Katherine was at Girls Night with Penny, Bernadette and Amy at a "Paint Your Own Pottery" shop. After they had chosen their pottery and started painting, Bernadette noticed that Katherine wasn't paying attention to the conversation; she was smiling and humming to herself. Bernadette poked Penny under the table. Penny looked up and saw Katherine uncharacteristically painting hearts all over her platter. She smirked at Bernadette who giggled. Ever since Raj had taken Katherine home from the club two weeks ago they had been acting strangely. When they were in the same room together they were avoiding making eye contact and avoiding talking to each other to an excessive degree. Neither of them had made anything clear, but the signs were obvious to Penny and Bernadette. Penny decided to see if she could get Katherine to admit anything<p>

"Katherine, have you heard anything more from your secret admirer?"

Katherine looked up, startled. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" Penny repeated her question. "Oh, um, yeah."

"What?" Penny, Bernadette and Amy said simultaneously.

Katherine realized that she had just dug a hole for herself, _Oh hell_. She thought _I am going to have to lie like a rug to get out of this one. _She knew that Bernadette and Penny were suspicious so she decided to have some fun with it. "Yes, he called me last week and we went out last Saturday."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Penny demanded.

"You know how it is when you're dating a new guy."

"What's he like?" Amy asked.

"Gorgeous. He's about 6 feet tall, auburn hair and dark blue eyes. His name is James Fraser." _The advantage of befriending non-readers, they won't realize that is the name and description of the hero of the __Outlander__ series. _Katherine thought.

"What does he do?" Bernadette asked.

"He's a history professor at Pepperdine." Penny and Bernadette were starting to be concerned. Katherine was giving the answers awfully smoothly, not stumbling like you would think if she was making it all up. Penny decided to push a little harder to see if Katherine would crack.

"What did you do on your date?"

"Dinner and a movie." Katherine knew the most successful way to lie was to stick to the truth as much as possible. She had gone on a dinner and movie date last Saturday.

"What did you see?" Bernadette asked.

"We saw the remake of _The Three Musketeers_."

"What did you think of it? Howard and I saw it the other night." Bernadette had the same idea as Penny.

"I thought it was an interesting interpretation of the novel, but the 3D was unnecessary and they crowded in action scenes at the expense of character development and plot. Plus the airships bugged me, I hate when a movie adds stuff in that wasn't in the book." Katherine answered honestly.

Penny tried a different angle. "Forget the movie, tell us about James. How was the chemistry?"

Amy chimed in "Yes, spill it girlfriend. Did things get physical?"

"Of course not, it was a first date."

"Not even a kiss?" Amy persisted.

"One very sweet goodnight kiss." Katherine blushed. _My good night kiss with Raj __was __sweet, the other kisses however…_

"Are you going to see him again?"

For the first time Katherine was thrown. If she said yes she would have to keep up the lies, plus deal with the reaction when she and Raj told everyone. If she said no, she needed a really good reason to not see a guy she hadn't given any faults to. "I'm not sure."

Bernadette and Penny had noticed the pause and moved in for the kill. "Why not? He sounds great. Gorgeous, a college professor like you, and a good kisser. What's not to like?" Penny asked.

"He's a dog person, and a Yankees fan." Katherine replied, grasping for any excuse...

"You're kidding, right?" Bernadette was incredulous.

"Hey, I'm a New Englander. My father would disown me for dating a Yankees fan. And you know I don't care for dogs, he owns three. I might go on a second date, but I don't see it working out."

"Those are fairly shallow reasons." Amy observed.

Katherine had had a chance to think of a more convincing reason. "Well, there is something else. I'm pretty sure he I saw him get the waitress's phone number when I was coming back from the bathroom."

"That is a deal breaker." The girls all agreed with Penny's comment.

The conversation turned as Bernadette and Penny began to recount their own bad date stories. Katherine congratulated herself on surviving the ordeal. _I have to talk to Raj. We might need to tell everyone sooner than later. I do not want to go through another night like this._

* * *

><p>Two days later the guys were sitting down in the cafeteria for lunch. Howard turned to Raj and asked "Do you want to do something tomorrow night? Bernadette is going to a baby shower for one of her work colleagues so I'm available to wingman for you if you want to hit the clubs. Just like old times."<p>

"Actually, I have plans for tomorrow night."

"Like what?' Howard asked.

"I have a date." His three friends stared at him.

"How did that happen?" Leonard asked.

_Great, how am I going to get out if this one?_ Raj thought. "I met her online."

"Like on a dating site?"

"Yeah."

"My inclination is to scoff, but it was a dating site that brought Amy Farrah Fowler into my life." Sheldon commented.

Raj seized the opportunity to turn the conversation from himself. "Are you saying you're glad Howard and I signed you up for that service?"

"Are you saying you're glad you have a girlfriend?" Leonard asked.

"She's _not_ my girlfriend! She's a girl who's a friend." Sheldon insisted.

"Keep telling yourself that buddy." Howard said.

"I don't have to take this." Sheldon picked up his tray and stormed out.

"That was an extreme reaction, even for Sheldon." Howard commented.

"If you'd ever tried to adjust the thermostat in the apartment you wouldn't say that." Leonard replied.

Raj relaxed as the conversation turned. _Katherine and I need to reconsider this whole secret relationship thing. I'm getting tired of having to watch what I say around my friends._

* * *

><p>*Raj is able to talk a lot in this scene as he had drunk alcohol at dinner.<p>

* * *

><p>Author note: Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapters. I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<p> 


	13. The Romance Revelation

**_The __Verbal __Variant_ - A sequel to _The __English __Element_**

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with The Big Bang Theory (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13 - The Romance Revelation<strong>

It was a Wednesday three weeks after Raj and Katherine had started dating; a week after they had both had close calls. They had decided to tell everyone that they were dating at the end of the night. They had considered making the announcement at the beginning of the night over dinner, but had decided against it, not wanting to anger Sheldon by throwing off his _Halo_ schedule.

After dinner_,_ the girls went to Penny's to indulge in a romantic comedy marathon and experiment with beauty masks. Katherine was grateful that the masks made speaking difficult. She was sure she would give something away if she spoke. After the first movie the masks were done and they switched to painting their toenails. Katherine focused on painting designs on her toes as an excuse to continue avoiding conversation.

Raj was also nervous; luckily _Halo_ prevented deep conversation, at least about anything but strategy. He had made it through the first break safely, but was nervous about making it through the second break without saying anything so when it began, Raj texted Katherine to meet him in the hallway. He then told the guys he was going out to make a call.

Several minutes went by without Raj's return. Soon the break was half over. "Long phone call." Howard remarked.

"Raj is not on the phone, he is kissing Katherine in the hallway." Sheldon stated.

Howard and Leonard turned to look at Sheldon. "Is that a Bazinga?" Leonard asked.

"No. I can hear them." Sheldon replied.

"You and your Vulcan hearing." Howard muttered.

"Why would Raj and Katherine be kissing?" Leonard asked.

"Their attraction to each other is quite obvious. Haven't you noted how their pupils dilate when they are in close proximity?"

"I can't say that I have." Leonard said. Howard walked over towards the door. "What are you doing?" Leonard asked.

"I'm going to see what's going on."

"I told you what's going on. Besides, there is still three minutes left in break; Raj is entitled to do what he likes during break time." Sheldon said.

Leonard got up and joined Howard at the door. Howard quietly eased the door open and revealed Raj and Katherine locked in a passionate embrace.

"What the?" Howard and Leonard exclaimed together.

Raj and Katherine broke apart and faced Howard and Leonard. "Well this is _not_ how we envisioned everyone finding out." Katherine said wryly.

"We? You guys are a 'we'?" Leonard was flabbergasted.

Katherine was flustered. "Yes...we...uh...well...look, you guys go back in and sit down, I'll get the girls and we'll explain everything to everyone at the same time." She took a step toward Penny's apartment then stopped. "What made you open the door?"

"Sheldon heard you two." Howard managed to say.

"Damn you and your Vulcan hearing Dr. Cooper." she said, then entered Penny's apartment.

The three men went back into the apartment where Sheldon was waiting in his spot. Raj went to get a beer since the girls would be coming in. Sheldon looked at his watch "Break is over gentlemen." he announced.

"We're going to have to extend the break Sheldon." Leonard told him.

Sheldon started sputtering but before he could say anything the girls walked in.

"Okay, what's this big announcement?" Penny asked as the girls walked in.

Katherine and Raj were standing to the side of the television. Raj took Katherine's hand as Katherine said "Raj and I are dating."

Penny and Bernadette immediately squealed and ran up to hug them. "Finally!" Bernadette exclaimed.

"You knew? I'm his best friend and I didn't know." Howard said with an accusing look at Raj.

"I'm sorry." Raj apologized.

"I'm sorry too Howard; it was my idea to keep it a secret until we were sure it was serious." Katherine explained.

"You guys are serious?" Leonard asked in shock.

Katherine and Raj looked at each other; Raj brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Yes, we're serious." he replied. Penny, Bernadette and Amy all sighed.

"I can't believe one of my best friends is dating my ex behind my back." Leonard stormed out and headed for his bedroom.

Katherine looked at Penny. "Do you want to take this one?"

"Oh no, this is your mess, you can clean it up." Penny answered.

Katherine turned to Raj. "Remind me again why we thought it was a good idea to not tell anyone right away?"

"We were trying to avoid drama."

Katherine went to Leonard's room and stood in the doorway. Leonard was lying face down on the bed. She knocked on the door.

"Go away." Leonard's voice was muffled in his pillow.

Katherine crossed the room to the bed. "Leonard, we didn't do this to hurt you."

Leonard took a minute to think before answering. "I'm not exactly hurt. I guess I mainly feel stupid. How could I not see it?"

"Because you weren't looking for it and because when we were around you guys we were discreet."

"I can't believe Raj never said anything."

"What was he supposed to say? 'Hey, your ex-girlfriend is hot, mind if I take a shot at her?'"

Leonard chuckled weakly and sat up. "I guess not, but a heads up would have been nice."

Katherine sighed. "Leonard, I'm sorry this upset you. Raj and I took a long while to get where we are. I don't think either of us thought anything was really possible at first. Honestly nothing really happened until the costume party."

"What happened at the costume party?"

"It's a long story. My point is, the whole thing sort of snuck up on us and once we realized how we felt we needed to figure out if it would work before we went public."

"I'm sorry that didn't go better."

"Me too. I suppose it's good practice for telling his parents."

"Good luck with that."

"Thanks. I have the feeling we'll need it."

"Katherine, I'm really sorry I didn't handle this better, it's just that it took me by surprise and well…"

Katherine waited for him to finish the thought. When it didn't seem to be forthcoming she prompted "Well what?"

"It's just…I saw how you were looking at Raj and you never looked at me that way."

"Leonard, you never looked at me the way you look at Penny."

"Oh."

"Leonard, when we were dating we had fun and we loved each other, but we weren't in love."

"You're right." Leonard sighed "That doesn't make any of this easier."

"Real life is never easy, why do you think I prefer books?"

Katherine and Leonard returned to their living room. Penny and Bernadette were explaining something to Amy and Sheldon but stopped when they saw the two walk in. "Where are Raj and Howard?" Katherine asked, looking around the room.

"Talking in the hall." Bernadette answered.

"Oh, good." Katherine noticed that Sheldon was miffed. "Sheldon, I'm sorry this interrupted _Halo_ night."

Sheldon was slightly mollified by the apology. "Apology accepted. I suppose it really isn't fair to expect perfection from you lesser mortals." Everyone but Amy rolled their eyes.

Meanwhile Leonard had pulled Penny aside. "Penny, I'm sorry I overreacted; it's just..."

Penny put a finger on his lips "It's okay, I get it. It was a lot dropped on you all at once. When I suspected something was going on between them, I should have warned you." She looked over at Katherine and raised her voice "But now we're even for the Truth or Dare incident. It can never be spoken of again."

"Agreed." Leonard and Katherine said ruefully.

Raj and Howard came back into the apartment. Raj sat in the chair nearest the door and Katherine walked over and perched on the arm of the chair. He put his arm around her as she leaned in to whisper "Are you and Howard good?"

"Yeah. He was just a little upset that both Bernadette and I were keeping secrets. I pointed out that it wasn't really Bernadette's secret to tell and that the whole thing was so complicated what with Leonard and all; if I had told him he would have had to keep it a secret from Leonard and it was just simpler to keep it quiet until we were sure."

At that point Sheldon spoke "All right, enough of this emotional nonsense. We have a game of _Halo_ to finish."

"Sheldon!" everyone exclaimed.

"It's Wednesday. Wednesday night is _Halo_ night. You all know this." Sheldon looked confused by their reluctance to resume the game.

"It will be faster to finish the game then to explain it to him." Leonard remarked.

"Explain what?" Sheldon inquired.

"You're right. Let's start playing gentlemen." Howard reached for one of the controllers.

The girls said goodbye and went back to Penny's. "Well that was most exciting." Amy remarked. Katherine groaned and slumped onto the couch.

"The ironic thing is that we were going to tell everyone tonight after _Halo_ anyway."

"What made you do it earlier?" Bernadette asked.

"The guys busted us kissing in the hall."

"You were kissing in the hall? So that call you had to make...?" Penny said while trying to repress a grin.

"Yeah."

"Katherine Levin, you minx you." Bernadette giggled.

"So _that's_ why Howard and Leonard flipped out." Penny observed.

"Yeah, it was not pretty." Katherine sat up. "I think we better arrange double dates with all of you."

"That might be awkward." Bernadette said, thinking of Howard's reaction to the announcement.

"It'll be more awkward the longer we wait."

"True. I'm off Saturday night so Leonard and I could do it then." Penny said.

Bernadette checked her phone's calender. "Howard and I are having dinner at my mother's on Sunday. How about Monday?"

"Okay. Amy? You and Sheldon want in on this?"

Amy flushed. "Sheldon and I are not a couple."

Penny snorted. "Sweetie, you two might not be romantic, but you're definitely a couple."

"Perhaps there is some veracity to your statement." admitted Amy, though she still looked reluctant.

Katherine leaned toward Amy. "You remember that experiment we were discussing?"

"Yes." Penny and Bernadette exchanged puzzled looks.

"This would be an ideal opportunity to gather data."

Amy was reassured by putting the date in scientific terms. "Yes, I suppose it would. Very well."

Katherine had been thinking on how best to use this date to further Amy's objectives. "You bring it up to Sheldon. We'll go Sunday night, that shouldn't conflict with his schedule. We'll go to a Sheldon approved restaurant, but we are choosing the dress code. We are going someplace _nice_. That means he has to wear the suit Penny helped him get for that award and you are wearing the dress you got for the makeover."

Amy frowned. "I don't know if I can get him to agree to all that."

"Of course you can. You're a smart woman. Besides, you deal with male primates all the time; and Sheldon _is_ a male primate." Bernadette pointed out.

"That is true from a biological and anthropological standpoint." Amy admitted.

"Honey, when it comes to men, the only science that matters is anatomy." Penny quipped and all four women laughed.

Bernadette grinned wickedly. "Speaking of anatomy, Katherine has been holding out on us long enough. Tell us everything."

"I thought you two had it all figured out. What is there to tell?" Katherine tried to weasel out of it.

"We only guessed that you two liked each other. We want details!" Penny demanded. Amy and Bernadette both nodded eagerly.

Katherine knew there was no avoiding it. "If I must, I must. You remember the costume party..."

* * *

><p><strong>Author note: Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapters. I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<strong>


	14. Double Date Redux

**_The Verbal Variant_ - A sequel to _The English Element_**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with The Big Bang Theory (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14 - Double Date Redux<br>**

It was Saturday evening and Raj and Katherine were dressing for their double date with Leonard and Penny. Raj paused in the middle of buttoning his shirt to look at Katherine. She sat at her vanity brushing her hair. _I can't believe a woman that beautiful is really my girlfriend_ he thought. Katherine glanced in the mirror and noticed him looking at her; she blew him a kiss. _I am so lucky_ he thought _Katherine is beautiful, smart, funny, affectionate, passionate... she makes me so happy._ He finished buttoning his shirt and moved to stand behind her. She had finished her hair and was rummaging through her jewelry box. Katherine felt Raj put his hands on her shoulders; she looked up and turned to face him. "What is it darling?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being my girlfriend."

Katherine blinked away tears. She stood up and embraced Raj. "Raj, I should be thanking you for being my boyfriend. You are the sweetest, most wonderful man. I've never been this happy." She kissed him. Katherine had intended the kiss to be short and sweet, but Raj had other ideas. "Raj!" she broke away from him laughing. "We don't have time for that."

"C'mon." Raj grabbed her and kissed her again.

"You'll have to take a rain check. We have reservations." Katherine slipped out of his grasp again.

"Fine." Raj stole one last kiss then went back to dressing for dinner.

An hour later they pulled up to the restaurant. As Raj opened the door for Katherine she said "You look really handsome in that suit."

"Thank you."

As she stood she whispered to him "And sexy. All I'm going to be thinking about during dinner is getting you home and ripping it off you." She walked toward the restaurant. Raj stood stunned for a moment, watching her hips sway as she walked. Then he grinned and followed her inside. _I am definitely lucky to have her._

The table wasn't ready yet, and as they waited Raj reflected on the past couple of days. Things had been tense at lunch Thursday; Raj had actually been grateful to get back to the office and work with Sheldon. Friday had still been awkward, but a bit better. They had all been really careful about what they said and no one had brought up anything remotely personal.

Leonard and Penny arrived just as the table was ready. They sat down and greetings and discussions of the menu kept things going at first. After they ordered the conversation was carried by Katherine and Penny, who were determined to make the date successful. They kept bringing up topics they knew the boys enjoyed until Raj and Leonard started talking despite themselves. Just after they ordered dessert, the girls went to the ladies room, leaving the two men alone. They sat in silence a moment, then Leonard said "I guess we're even for me sleeping with Priya now."

Raj bit back his usual response to the idea of his innocent sister being sullied by Leonard and instead decided to accept the olive branch Leonard was awkwardly offering. "We are only even if you swear to never mention that unholy incident again."

"Deal."

With that they turned the conversation to Marvel's _The New 52_. They were deep in discussion when the girls returned.

"Well, it looks like you two mended your fences." Penny said smugly.

Leonard replied "Yeah, we decided we could put it behind us."

"Good." Katherine beamed.

They girls were too smug about this. Leonard decided to tease them. "We just have to swap girlfriends for a night to be even."

"Leonard!" Penny exclaimed.

Raj looked at Leonard, startled; Leonard shot him a look and kicked him under the table. "It's the only way." Raj said in as serious a tone as he could manage.

"Raj!" Katherine exclaimed. The boys were unable to keep a straight face any longer and burst out laughing.

"They must be over it if they can make tasteless jokes." Katherine observed.

"Humph." Penny said, frowning at the still laughing men.

"Penny, I just realized something; didn't they sound just like men who won't be getting laid tonight?" Katherine inquired.

Penny grinned wickedly. "You're right! I couldn't quite put my finger on it at first, but that's _exactly_ what they sounded like."

The men sobered instantly.

* * *

><p>Sunday evening Penny was at Amy's apartment, helping her get ready for dinner. Amy was more confident in the dress after the male attention she had gotten at the club and she was getting used to wearing makeup.<p>

_Knock Knock Knock_ "Amy?" _Knock Knock Knock_ "Amy?" _Knock Knock Knock_ "Amy?"

"Just a minute Sheldon." Penny yelled toward the door then said to Amy "Go into your bedroom. I'll open the door and then you can make an entrance."

"Why?"

"Just trust me bestie." Penny waited for Amy to go into her room, and then she opened the door. Sheldon stood in the hall, wearing the black suit she had helped him buy, but with a blue shirt and a different tie then he had worn to the award banquet. Penny was stunned for a moment, as she had been when he had tried it on the first time. The blue shirt exactly matched his eyes and the tie; she smiled as she noted the superhero logos all over it. "Nice tie Sheldon."

"Thank you. Stuart special ordered it for me." Sheldon said as he entered the apartment.

"I should have guessed." Penny turned toward the bedroom door and raised her voice slightly. "Amy, Sheldon's here."

Amy walked out of the bedroom, as her gaze went past Penny to Sheldon she stopped in her tracks. Amy had never seen Sheldon dressed up before. Her heart sped up as she took in his appearance; had his eyes always been so blue? She felt as if she had never truly seen him before.

Amy took Sheldon's breath away. She was wearing the dress she had worn just under a month ago when she and the other girls had gone to a club. It had annoyed him that night; for some reason he hadn't liked the idea of Amy going out dressed like that where other, lesser men could see her. Tonight, however, the sight of her caused him to experience confusing and unfamiliar emotions.

He suddenly wished that he had refused to participate in the ridiculous "double date". He wanted Amy in her normal clothes and to be doing something familiar. He didn't like these confusing new emotions.

Penny was gleefully watching Amy and Sheldon stare at each other. "Amy, you look beautiful." she said "Doesn't Amy look beautiful Sheldon?"

Penny's voice broke the spell Sheldon was under. He remembered that Leonard had told him that it was a non-optional social convention to compliment one's date's appearance. "Yes. You look very beautiful Amy."

Amy blushed, for some reason Sheldon complimenting her appearance was different then when he complimented her intelligence or wit. She made a mental note to think about that later. "Thank you Sheldon. You are looking quite handsome this evening."

"Thank you." Amy's compliment caused more of those confusing feelings. "We should depart. Raj and Katherine are waiting in the car."

"Of course." Amy went to pick up her purse and the shawl Penny had loaned her. Sheldon remembered that his Mee-Maw had told him that a gentleman should always help a lady with her wrap.

"Allow me." Sheldon draped the shawl over Amy's shoulders, automatically smoothing out the wrinkles; his fingers tingled when he touched her.

"Thank you." They left the apartment and took the elevator to the lobby. Sheldon opened doors and pushed the elevator buttons for her. Amy's instinct was to do all that for herself, but when the girls were coaching her for this night, they had told her that she should allow Sheldon to do these things for her. When she had asked why, Katherine had said something about the chivalric code. Amy didn't understand why medieval rules for knights applied to the twenty-first century, but since they all had more experience with dating then she did she acquiesced. She had to admit that having Sheldon do things for her was nice. It made her feel cared for, cherished even.

Sheldon was still disturbed when they got to the car. As soon as the others exchanged greetings, he proposed a car game in order to gain some control over the situation. He proposed the elements game; Katherine suggested they substitute geographical places names for elements. Sheldon conceded, desperate to engage in something even slightly intellectual. Amy sitting beside him was distracting, making him aware of physical impulses he usually repressed. It never had been before, but tonight the scent of her perfume was intoxicating; he couldn't think properly. Perhaps he was coming down with something. Ordinarily he would be panicking at the idea of illness, but tonight he was actually relieved at the possibility of logical explanation for his issues. If he was sick, if he had a fever, it would explain why he felt so warm, and why he couldn't concentrate on the game. He frowned as he realized that being sick wouldn't explain why his gaze kept going to Amy's cleavage.

Sheldon was grateful when they finally arrived at the restaurant. He took deep breaths when he exited the car, hoping to clear his head. Sheldon saw Raj offer Katherine his arm, so he did the same for Amy. Once again, his skin tingled when he touched Amy.

Katherine was glad to see that Sheldon was behaving well. She had asked Raj to set Sheldon a good example tonight and so far he was doing so. Penny had called her just before Amy and Sheldon had got to the car to tell her how they had stared at each other, and Katherine was glad that the first part of the plan had been successful.

Dinner began well; Raj and Katherine were prepared to tolerate Amy and Sheldon's idea of good dinner conversation. Katherine sat diagonally across from Sheldon and was delighted to see how often he looked at Amy. The conversation was mainly scientific topics mixed with occasional "fun facts" from Sheldon. _Sheldon__ and __Amy__'__s __reaction __to __each __others __appearance __is __a __good __start_, Katherine thought, _but __they __need __to __be __in __a __more __intimate __situation; __someplace __where __they __can __be __alone __together. _Katherine decided that she needed to talk to Amy. She stood up and said "Excuse me; I need to powder my nose." She looked at Amy.

"Oh. I'll join you for some female bonding."

Katherine broached the subject while they were washing their hands. "Amy, how do you think things are going?"

"Can you be more specific?"

"How do you think things are going with Sheldon?"

"I'm not sure. I was very much struck by his appearance this evening."

"That suit and shirt do bring out his eyes."

"Indeed. I am definitely experiencing the symptoms of arousal, such as …"

Katherine interrupted her. "That's okay Amy, I get the idea. How do you think he's reacting to you?"

"It's hard to tell with Sheldon. I did note that his pupils were slightly dilated, but that might have resulted from him taking an antihistamine or decongestant. Alternatively, it could have resulted from head trauma or use of illicit drugs."

"I think we can rule that out Amy." Katherine said. She began reapplying her lipstick. Amy followed suit. "I think we need to get you two into a more intimate environment, someplace you can be alone together."

"Like the back seat of a car at a Lover's Lane?" Amy asked excitedly.

"I don't think that's quite Sheldon's style. Let's see what's going on tonight." Katherine put away her lipstick and took her phone from her purse. She Googled a few things and found that the Samuel Oschin Planetarium at Griffith Observatory had a show at 8:45 that evening. "This is perfect." Katherine said, showing her phone to Amy.

"It does look to be rather informative, even if it is dumbed down for the masses." Amy remarked.

"Amy, the idea is to be with your guy in a dark room, not to learn anything."

"Oh. That's very clever of you Katherine. Sheldon would refuse to participate in something obviously romantic, but by disguising it as educational he will fall into our trap."

"Something like that. I'll bring it up when we get back to the table. Just follow my lead."

They rejoined their men. Katherine took advantage of the break in the conversation their return caused to say, "You know Amy was telling me about an article she saw on the planetarium at Griffith Observatory."

"I didn't know you were interested in astronomy Amy." Raj remarked.

Amy scrambled for a believable answer. "Oh well, you know how women love shiny things, like diamonds and stars."

Katherine inwardly groaned, but forged ahead with the plan. "The planetarium is featuring a special presentation about the possibility of water and life on other planets. Doesn't that sound fascinating?" She looked at Raj meaningfully.

Raj wasn't sure what she was up to but he had promised to support her tonight. "That does sound like an interesting presentation."

"We could go tonight after we finish dinner. We should be able to catch the last showing."

"I concur." Amy said, after Katherine kicked her under the table.

"I can't refuse two such beautiful women." Raj said.

Sheldon looked at him oddly before he said. "I suppose it would be humorous to see how they dumb down such a complex concept for the masses."

"Excellent!" Katherine exclaimed. They decided to pass on dessert to make sure they got there in time for Sheldon to be able to find the perfect seats.

* * *

><p><strong>Author note: Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapters. I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<strong>


	15. The Planetarium Predicament

_**The **__**Verbal **__**Variant**_**-****A**** sequel to _The English Element_**

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><p>In no way, shape or form do I own anything to do with <em>The <em>_Big __Bang __Theory _(except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter<strong>** 15**** – ****The ****Planetarium ****Predicament**

The foursome arrived at the planetarium in plenty of time to see the show. After waiting for Sheldon to pick out the perfect seat, they settled in. Amy sat next to Sheldon; Katherine and Raj sat in the row in front of them.

Katherine decided to give Amy a hint on how to proceed. She faked a shiver and started rubbing her arms. "Gee, it's chilly in here." Raj responded predictably by putting an arm around her. They snuggled as close as they could in the seats.

Raj looked up at the stars projected on the ceiling of the planetarium and said, "This reminds me of our first date."

"You mean when you lured a drunk girl back to your place and got her to play with your telescope?" Katherine teased.

"Hey!" Raj was hurt that Katherine would characterize it that way.

"Okay, I'm exaggerating, but you have to admit, it's not exactly a cute story. When we tell our parents we're dating and they ask about our first date, how do you think that story will go over?"

"Not well." Raj had been avoiding telling his parents about Katherine as he knew they would object as she wasn't Indian. If they thought she was some boozing party girl on top of that, they'd never approve of her.

Katherine got an idea. "We should have a do over first date!"

"This isn't some test is it? Like I have to surprise you with the perfect date to show how romantic I am?"

"No, I already know how romantic you are Nightwing; I've seen that gardenia in your wallet." She kissed him. "We'll plan it together."

"Okay, can we come back here for part of it?"

"Sure, it's appropriate since you make me starry-eyed." Raj kissed her. They kept kissing until the presentation started.

Amy had seen how Katherine had gotten Raj to put his arm around her. She thought _That__ maneuver __is__ elegant__ in__ its__ simplicity_. Amy rubbed her bare arms and said "The temperature in this establishment is certainly toward the frigid end of the thermometer."

Sheldon had seen what Raj had done when Katherine had complained about the temperature and tried to think of a way to avoid it. _I __could __go __back __to __the __car __to __retrieve __Amy__'__s __shawl, __but __I __might __lose __my __seat. __I __suppose __I __could __loan __Amy __my __suit __jacket, __but __then __I __might __get __cold. __Putting __my __arm __around __her __is __the __least __objectionable __option._ "I could put my arm around you to share body temperature if you would like."

"I would find that acceptable." Sheldon gingerly put his arm around Amy's shoulders and she moved closer to him. He saw Raj kiss Katherine _I __am __not __doing __that_! he thought.

The presentation began; Sheldon and Amy exchanged snide remarks about the lack of genuine intellectual content. Sheldon slowly relaxed at the return to normal interaction between Amy and himself. He admitted to himself that it was not entirely unpleasant to have Amy close to him.

Amy was thoroughly enjoying having Sheldon's arm around her. She had seen Katherine and Raj kiss, but didn't think she could persuade Sheldon to engage in the activity. _I __wonder __if __I __can __ever __get __Sheldon __to __voluntarily __kiss __me. __I __think __at __the __next __Girls__' __Night __I __will __have __to __see __if __the __others __have __any __suggestions._

* * *

><p>After the presentation they brought Amy home first. Sheldon accompanied her to her door. When Sheldon returned to the car, Katherine tried to get some information out of him. "Did you have a good time tonight Sheldon?"<p>

"I suppose it was not worst evening I've experienced." Raj and Katherine rolled their eyes.

"Amy certainly looked lovely tonight." Katherine took a hand off the steering wheel and poked Raj.

"Oh yes. She's quite an attractive woman." Raj said.

"We should fix her up with someone. A couple of the professors in my department are single." Katherine hoped this would get a reaction from Sheldon.

Sheldon frowned "Why would you fix her up with someone?"

"So she might meet a boyfriend."

"She has a …" Sheldon stopped, horrified by what he had almost admitted.

Katherine continued as if she hadn't noticed. "I'll call her tomorrow and see if she's interested. Are there any single men in the physics department?"

Raj had caught on to what Katherine was doing and decided to help. "Barry Kripke is single, isn't he Sheldon?"

"Kripke!" The idea of his Amy and Barry Kripke together was appalling. Sheldon was confident that Amy would have no interest in some intellectual light-weight from the Humanities, but Kripke! The man who had ruined his appearance on NPR. "I forbid it!"

"What?" Katherine exclaimed while thinking _Yes!__ Exactly __what __I __was __hoping __for!_

"I forbid you to fix Amy up with Barry Kripke. The man is our enemy."

"Sheldon, don't be absurd." Raj was surprised by Sheldon's vehemence.

"Absurd! Are you forgetting that he destroyed our battlebot?"

"Isn't that the point of a _battle_-bot?" Katherine asked.

"I should have known better than to expect a woman to understand the finer points of robotic warfare." Sheldon said contemptuously.

"Sheldon, you and Amy are platonic friends. You don't have the right to forbid her to date." Katherine pointed out.

"If you are implying that I'm jealous, I assure you that you are mistaken. I would forbid any member of our social group to interact with that man." Sheldon insisted.

"Fine, then we'll fix her up with some other men." Katherine said, daring Sheldon to object.

Sheldon took refuge in silence.

* * *

><p>Katherine and Raj went back to her apartment after bringing Sheldon home. As they walked in the door Raj asked "Are you sure it was a good idea to joke about fixing Amy up with someone?"<p>

"It wasn't a joke."

"What? But she and Sheldon…"

"Sheldon refuses to admit that they are more than friends, so Amy is free to date. If she is interested, I will fix her up with my coworkers and I'll get Bernadette to set her up with some of the guys from her lab."

"I think that it is a dangerous idea." Raj was remembering when Sheldon and Amy had fought and Sheldon had filled the apartment with cats.

"That's Amy's call. Besides, you have to take risks in life. Like falling for a guy you've never spoken to. Or dressing in costume to romance a girl."

"Not fair."

"All's fair in love and war darling. Beside, don't you think what we have is worth the risks we took?" Katherine put her arms around Raj's neck.

Raj put his arms around her waist. "Perhaps you could persuade me to your point of view."

* * *

><p>Sheldon was having a hard time getting to sleep that night. He was brooding over the idea of Amy dating. He didn't understand why the idea was bothering him so much. Earlier in their friendship he had been willing to enable Amy to engage in coitus with Zack; but now, the idea of Amy and another man was abhorrent to him.<p>

_Not __that __I __want __to __engage __in __coitus __with __her_ Sheldon thought, punching his pillow in an effort to get comfortable _Not __at __all. __I __have __no __interest __in __participating __in __a __primitive __activity __that __involves __the __exchange __of __bodily __fluids._ Sheldon shivered in disgust_.__ I __am __a __Homo __Novus; __I__'__m __above __such __behavior. __No __matter __what __they __think __I __have __no __desire __to __taste __Amy__'__s __lips, __or __to __find __out __if __her __skin __is __as __soft __as __it __looks. __Or __to __see __her __hair __spread __out __over __my __pillow._ Sheldon fell asleep thinking about all the things he believed he didn't want to do with Amy.

* * *

><p><strong>Author note: Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapters. I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<strong>


	16. The Skype Situation

_**The **__**Verbal **__**Variant**_**-****A ****sequel ****to **_**The **__**English **__**Element**_

Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with _The __Big__ Bang__ Theory_ (except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter<strong>**16**** – ****The ****Skype ****Situation**

* * *

><p>It was two weeks after the double dates. Things were back to normal between the guys. Bernadette and Howard were busy planning their wedding and conversations among the group tended to focus on that, taking attention off of Raj and Katherine.<p>

Raj and Katherine had gone on their "first" date and with that accomplished they were breaking the news of their relationship to their parents. Katherine was on her way to Raj's apartment on a Sunday evening so they could Skype his parents and make the announcement. Katherine had spent a good part of the day trying to decide what to wear. She had tried on six different outfits and the contents of her closet were strewn all over her bedroom. She had been less nervous about telling her parents yesterday. Of course, since her mother had been Catholic before marrying her father, they'd didn't have much of a leg to stand on about her dating outside the faith. That hadn't prevented them from interrogating Raj for over an hour, making sure he was good enough for their little girl.

_Thank __God __that__'__s __over_ she thought _I__'__m __pretty __sure __they __like __him. __He __certainly __beats __some __of __the __guys __my __sister __has __dated. __I __can__'__t __believe __they __made __us __promise __to __visit __them __for __Thanksgiving. __Oh __well, __Raj __has __never __been __to __New __England __and __it__'__s __just __as __well __his __first __visit __be __in __the __autumn. _Katherine almost went through a stop sign as she realized _First __visit! __I__'__m __assuming __they__'__ll __be __more. __Oh __my __God! __I __am __really __getting __serious __about __Raj! I__'__m __envisioning __a __future __with __him __and __everything! _She pulled the car over and hyperventilated._ What __if __his __parents __don__'__t __like __me __and __he __dumps __me! __I__'__ll __be __devastated! _"Pull it together Levin!" She said out loud to herself. _Be __logical!_ _There__'__s __no __good __reason __for __them __not __to __approve __of __me, __and __if __Raj __dumps __me __because __his __parents __don__'__t __want __him __dating __a __girl __who __isn__'__t __Indian, __then __he __doesn__'__t __deserve __me._ She sighed as she pulled back into traffic_. __Logic __will __not __make __it __easier __if __it __happens._

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><p>Raj was compulsively tidying his apartment as he waited for Katherine to arrive. He knew his parents would <em>not<em> be happy that Katherine wasn't Indian; he was praying that they wouldn't say anything too awful in front of her. He stopped cleaning as he realized that he was more concerned about Katherine's reaction to his parents, then about his parents' reaction to Katherine.

_Knock, Knock_

Raj opened the door for Katherine and immediately noticed that she looked upset. "Are you all right? You're awfully pale."

"I'm fine I just…" to his surprise she grabbed him and kissed him desperately.

Ordinarily he would enjoy that, but today "Babe, we can't. We're scheduled to call my parents in fifteen minutes."

"I know; I just needed to kiss you." She gave him a smile he didn't quite understand.

"Well, get it out of your system now. My parents are very conservative; you need to keep your hands to yourself while we're Skyping." Raj attempted to make light of the situation, but he was concerned about Katherine; she looked like she was going to be sick.

"I'll try to control myself. Am I dressed okay?" She twirled for him to inspect her.

"You look perfect." Raj admired her choice. She wore a black skirt that went to just below her knees. She had paired that with a sweater with three quarter length sleeves and a grey and green argyle pattern. She had pulled her hair partially back with a barrette and had accessorized with small silver hoop earrings, a simple silver chain necklace and black wedge shoes.

"Good." Katherine was relieved. She looked at her watch. "It's time."

"Here goes." They sat down on the couch and Raj opened his laptop.

"Hello Mummy and Dad."

"Hello Rajesh." His father greeted him "What is this announcement you have to make?"

"Mummy, Dad, I want to introduce you to my girlfriend, Katherine Levin."

Katherine slid over on the couch so she was in the shot. "It's a pleasure to meet you Dr. and Mrs. Koothrappali; Raj has told me so much about you."

"I wish I could say the same. Rajesh! Why didn't you tell us you were dating a white girl?" Mrs. Koothrappali demanded.

"And a red-head! That's the whitest kind of white." Dr. Koothrappali exclaimed.

"Mummy. Dad. Please!"

"This is such a surprise Rajesh. You never even mentioned you were dating anyone, and now you spring this, this girl on us." Mrs. Koothrappali was obviously upset.

"Did you meet her at one of those sleazy discos?" Dr. Koothrappali inquired.

"Actually, Dr. Koothrappali, we met through work. I'm a professor of Literature at Caltech." Katherine responded, her voice was calm put she was grabbing Raj's hand so tightly he was certain it would leave marks.

"Well, that's something anyway." Mrs. Koothrappali brightened slightly.

"Katherine, I'm sure you are a lovely person, but we would prefer Rajesh be with an Indian girl." Dr. Koothrappali said.

"Mummy, Dad, Katherine is the only woman I can talk to sober. Don't you think that's a sign?" Raj was exasperated.

"Truly, Rajesh?" Mrs. Koothrappali said in surprise.

"If you've finally managed to talk to one woman, you will be able to talk to others. Do you really want to upset your family for some woman you barely know?" Dr. Koothrappli said challengingly.

"With all due respect Dr. Koothrappali, Raj and I have known each other for eight months and we've been dating for five weeks."

Raj's parents sat silent for a long moment. "We only want what is best for you Rajesh; and what's best for you is an Indian girl."

Raj had had enough "I'm able to decide what's best for me, and what's best for me is Katherine." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.

"What do you know about this girl? She could be some gold-digger after your money."

Katherine was puzzled "What money?"

Dr. Koothrappali was surprised "She doesn't know?"

Raj answered "No, she doesn't."

"What are you talking about?" Katherine asked.

"You are not aware of our financial situation?" Mrs. Koothrappali inquired.

Katherine frowned, sensing she was missing something. "Well, I know you are reasonably well-off."

Raj's parents laughed. "Perhaps we allow this to continue for a while."

"They _are_ only dating." They looked at each other and had one of those silent conversations married people have.

"All right Rajesh. We will think about this; you may continue to date for now."

"Dad, I am going to date Katherine with or without your approval."

"Even if we cut you off?" his father queried.

"Katherine makes me happier than I have ever been in my life; I can't buy that feeling. Go ahead and cut me off. You need to realize that I am an adult; you can't control my life anymore."

Raj ends the Skype. "Well, that went better than I expected."

"If that was better, I'd hate to know what you thought would happen."

"Katherine, I should tell you…"

Katherine interrupted him. "Don't. I don't want to know anything about your family's money. If you tell me we'll always wonder if it's influencing our decisions."

Raj was relieved. "Okay, if you're sure. That's the reason I didn't tell you sooner."

"I'm honestly glad you didn't."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, emotionally exhausted.

"Raj?" Katherine broke the silence "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For standing up to your parents for me; I know it couldn't have been easy."

"It wasn't easy, but it was something I had to do. At some point I had to stop letting my parents control me."

"I just don't feel right about coming between you and your family."

"You're not."

"We're you not listening to that conversation."

"Katherine, are you forbidding me from having contact with my family?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Then you're not coming between my family and I; my parents are."

"I can't believe you're handling this so well."

"I've had a lot of time to prepare for this. I just never had a good enough reason to make the effort until now. I love you."

"I love you too Raj."

* * *

><p>Author note: Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapters. I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<p> 


	17. The Late Lament

_**The **__**Verbal **__**Variant**_**-****A ****sequel ****to **_**The **__**English **__**Element**_

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with <em>The <em>_Big __Bang __Theory _(except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter<strong>**17**** – ****The ****Late ****Lament**

It was two months after Raj and Katherine had told their parents they were dating.

It was early evening on a Saturday. The guys had spent the afternoon kite fighting and were now at Leonard and Sheldon's apartment playing _Mystic __Warlords __of __Ka__'__a_ before dinner. Penny, Bernadette and Amy walked into the apartment. They had been at Penny's planning the bachelorette party and had come over to have dinner with the boys. Raj grabbed a beer while everyone was discussing dinner options.

"Where's Katherine?" Leonard asked.

"She's preparing for midterms." Raj replied "I never realized until I started dating a professor that exams are as hard on them as they are on the students."

They were just about to call in the order when Penny, Bernadette and Amy's phones all went off at once. "That's weird." Howard commented.

Penny said "I got a text from Katherine. It says 'Code Pink'"

"Me too."

"I also."

They girls exchanged looks. The last Girls' Night they had joked about 'Code Pink' as a way to alert friends of female type emergencies. Bernadette stood "I'm going to call her and see what's going on." She walked out and into Penny's apartment; she started dialing before the door was completely closed. "Katherine it's Bernadette. What's wrong?"

"I'm late."

Bernadette was puzzled. "I can call you back if you have to be somewhere."

"No, I'm _late_ late."

"Oh. Oh my God honey!"

"You're with Penny and Amy at Penny's right?"

"Yeah." Bernadette felt guilty for the minor fib.

"Can you guys get some pregnancy tests and come over? I'm freaking out too much to drive."

"Of course, we'll be right there."

"Thank you. You guys are the best."

Bernadette went and stood in the doorway of the boys' apartment. "Penny, Amy, can I see you out here for a sec?" The girls all went into Penny's apartment. "Katherine is late. _Late_ late."

"Oh God!" Penny exclaimed.

"As you can imagine, she's freaking out and wants us to go over right away."

"Of course; it's our duty to support our friend in a female crisis." Amy stated.

"Okay, we'll go and make an excuse to the guys and head over." Penny said. They went back into Sheldon and Leonard's. The four men looked up as they walked in.

"Is everything okay?" Raj asked with a look of concern.

"Yeah, Katherine's just having a minor girl crisis. We're just gonna head over and help her out." Penny reassured him.

"Is it serious? Should I go?"

"No, no. It's just a hair thing. She doesn't want you to see her looking all weird." _Ha!__ That __improve __class __I__ took __is __finally__ paying__ off_.

Raj frowned. "Okay, if you're sure."

The girls left. The guys ordered dinner and continued to play _Mystic __Warlord __of __Ka__'__a._ Raj had a nagging suspicion about Katherine. While cards were being shuffled and dealt for the next round he checked Amy's Facebook, thankful that she was so compulsive about updating it. About five minutes ago she had checked in at the drugstore nearest Katherine's apartment. _Well, __that __makes __sense. __They __must __need __supplies __for __whatever __the __hair __crisis __is _he thought. Sheldon's phone rang.

"Hello Amy." Raj looked up. "You want me to what?...Amy? Amy? Amy?"

Sheldon looked at his phone, shrugged and put it back in his pocket. He picked up his hand of cards.

"Well, what did Amy want?" Raj demanded.

"She asked me to run a cost value analysis of several brands of pregnancy tests. But before I could get more information I heard Penny and Bernadette yelling at her and then the call was disconnected." Howard, Leonard and Raj all stared at Sheldon. Then Howard and Leonard turned to stare at Raj.

"Oh my God!" Raj leapt up and ran out of the apartment.

"What was that about?" Sheldon asked curiously.

"Really Sheldon isn't it obvious?" Howard asked.

"If it was obvious I wouldn't have asked."

"Sheldon, the girls must be buying pregnancy tests for Katherine. That's what the emergency was." Leonard explained.

"Oh, and Raj was upset because they had lied and told us the crisis was hair related."

"Sheldon, you really need to read that book we got you." Leonard said.

* * *

><p>Author note: Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapters. I would love to hear any thoughts, comments or constructive criticism so please review.<p> 


	18. The Results Revelation

_**The **__**Verbal **__**Variant**_**- ****A ****sequel ****to **_**The **__**English **__**Element**_

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with <em>The <em>_Big __Bang __Theory _(except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter<strong>** 18**** –The Results Revelation  
><strong>

Penny, Bernadette and Amy arrived at Katherine's apartment. She opened the door and they were all shocked by her appearance. Even when Katherine dressed casually she was put together, but now she was a mess. She was wearing an over-sized t-shirt and sweatpants and her hair was disheveled. She held a wad of tissues in one hand and her eyes were puffy and red from crying. The girls dropped their bags and hugged her.

"It'll be okay sweetie." Bernadette said soothingly.

Katherine pulled out of the embrace and snapped "Really? I might be pregnant out of wedlock, something that will have a huge impact on the rest of my life, _and_ Raj's, and you think it will be _okay_?"

"She's got you there." Amy said.

Bernadette was stunned by Katherine's outburst "I'm sorry, I ..."

Katherine wilted and sank onto the couch. "No, I'm sorry I snapped. I'm just going to pieces over this. I shouldn't have taken it out on you." She burst into tears.

Penny sat next to her and hugged her. "We understand. We've all been there." Bernadette and Amy looked at her. "Well I've been there."

Amy asked. "How did it occur? You and Raj are both intelligent enough to use contraception to prevent an unwanted pregnancy from occurring."

"We do. Two kinds. But the pill isn't one hundred percent effective and a couple weeks ago a condom broke. We didn't worry about it since I'm on the pill, but lucky me! That one percent chance they warn you about picked me to prove a statistic."

"What will you do if you are with child?" Amy inquired.

"I don't know."

"Are you considering an...?" Bernadette trailed off, not courageous enough to finish.

"I don't know. It's not like I'm a teenager, or got knocked up in a one night stand. I'm an adult with a stable, decent job. I can afford a child."

"Do you _want_ a child?" Penny asked.

"Yes, but someday. Not like this." She gave a strangled laugh. "I've always been so careful, so cautious. And still, I'm sitting here like the heroine of an after school special." Katherine wiped her eyes and blew her nose. "I might as well get this over with." She grabbed the bag of tests and headed for the bathroom.

"Wait." Amy said. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and handed it to Katherine. "You're probably dehydrated from all of the crying."

"Thank you Amy." She chugged the bottle and went into the bathroom. The other girls sat down in awkward silence.

Amy said brightly, "Sheldon told me a great fun fact the other day. Did you know that if all the gold suspended in the world's seawater were mined, each person on earth would receive approximately nine pounds?" Penny and Bernadette looked at her. "Just trying to make conversation."

Katherine came out of the bathroom, set the kitchen timer and sat down on the couch. "Amy, give me a Counterfactual."

"What?"

"I need a distraction."

"Let's see... okay, this is a good one. In a world where roads are made of rubber, what piece of silverware is no longer used?"

"Umm…"

Just then Raj burst through the door. He went straight to Katherine and exclaimed "You're pregnant?"

"How did you…?" Katherine shook her head "I don't know for sure yet."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Raj demanded, the hurt he was feeling obvious in his voice.

"I didn't want to tell you until I knew for certain. There wasn't any point of both of us freaking out for no reason."

"For no reason? Honey, you shouldn't be going through this alone. You need to let me support you." Katherine burst into tears and threw herself at Raj.

"What did I do?" Raj asked the other women.

Penny smiled "You said the perfect thing." Katherine pulled away from Raj, nodded and buried her face back in his shoulder. The timer went off and everyone jumped.

"Okay then." Katherine stood up to go into the bathroom.

"Wait." Raj stood "We should do this together." They walked to the bathroom, Katherine clutching Raj's hand, and paused at the door. "No matter what, we will get through it together." They kissed.

"I love you."

"I love you too." They walked into the bathroom. Seconds later the girls heard Katherine scream "Yes!" She stepped out of the bathroom grinning. "I'm not pregnant." The girls all congratulated her and then left.

Raj and Katherine sit down on the couch, Raj put his arm around Katherine and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was just so stressed that I wasn't thinking straight."

Raj barely heard her apology as he was coming to a realization "Marry me."

"What?" Katherine exclaimed.

"When we went in there and saw the results, I was actually a little disappointed that you weren't pregnant. I want you to be my wife and the mother of my children."

"Oh Raj." Katherine kissed him. "That's very sweet, but I'm not accepting a proposal made when we're emotionally worked up from a pregnancy scare."

"But…"

"Raj, if you really mean it, ask me again in a couple weeks or months so I know you've thought it through and have made a rational decision."

"You don't understand…"

"Yes, I do. Raj, part of the reason I was freaking out so much is because part of me wanted it to be true, and that scared the hell out of me."

"Then why…?"

"Raj, I take marriage seriously. My father and his three siblings have six divorces between them. I've seen how that has screwed up my cousins, who are already racking up their own divorces. When I get married, I want it to be for keeps."

"Me too." He kissed her. "Just so I'm clear, that's not so much a 'No' as a 'Not now.'"

"Exactly." They sat in silence contemplating the leap forward their relationship had taken.

* * *

><p><strong>Author <strong>**note: ****Thanks ****to ****all ****who ****reviewed ****the ****previous ****chapters. ****I ****would ****love ****to ****hear ****any ****thoughts, ****comments ****or ****constructive ****criticism ****so ****please ****review**.


	19. The Rooftop Revelation

_**The **__**Verbal **__**Variant**_**-****A ****sequel ****to **_**The **__**English **__**Element**_

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I own anything to do with <em>The <em>_Big __Bang __Theory _(except DVDs). CBS, Chuck Lorre, and Bill Prady have that honor. I am just a fan.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter <strong>**19**** – ****The ****Rooftop ****Revelation**

Two months had gone by since the pregnancy scare. Everyone had been busy with Howard and Bernadette's wedding, which had gone off without a hitch; at least, without a _serious_ hitch. As Best Man and bridesmaid, Raj and Katherine had had front row seats for all the good and bad that occurred during the wedding preparations. They had used every argument and problem that Howard and Bernadette had experienced as opportunities to discuss their own relationship. Both were now confident in their relationship and in their ability to successfully deal with any challenges the future might bring.

A few weeks after Bernadette and Howard had returned from their honeymoon, the boys were gathered at Sheldon and Leonard's apartment for _Halo_ while the girls were at a movie for Girls' Night. Raj was playing very poorly. He made a particularly egregious error just before a break and as soon as they paused the game Howard called him on it. "What is with you tonight buddy? We're getting creamed."

"I'm sorry, I'm just distracted."

"By what?"

Raj hesitated before saying "I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you all. I'm going to propose to Katherine."

"Congratulations! That's wonderful." Leonard exclaimed.

"Great! Now I won't be the only one with a ball and chain." Howard joked.

"If you must enter into the state of matrimony, Katherine is an excellent choice. One hopes your progeny will inherit her verbal skills." Sheldon stated.

"Thank you Sheldon." Raj said, realizing that was as gracious as Sheldon could get.

"How are you going to propose?" Leonard asked.

"I have an idea, but I will need all of your help. Next Thursday is Anything-Can-Happen-Thursday and I was thinking…"

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><p>The following Thursday Katherine was waiting at her apartment for Raj to pick her up. She knew he was up to something, but all he would tell her was to dress up and be ready at 6:30 pm. She had butterflies in her stomach, wondering if he was going to propose. She knew he was getting close to popping the question. He kept steering her to jewelry store windows and asking her opinions about rings; she had also found bridal magazines under his mattress one day when she was changing the sheets.<p>

_Knock, knock_

"Finally." Katherine put down the magazine she had been flipping through without reading and answered the door. She was immediately struck speechless at the sight of Raj in a perfectly tailored tuxedo.

"Wow!" She eventually managed to say.

"Koothrappli, Rajesh Koothrapplai." He said, making her laugh.

"You look gorgeous." She said.

"So do you." Katherine was looking stunning in the green dress he remembered her wearing on their first double date with Howard and Bernadette. He produced a corsage of gardenia's and pinned it to her dress.

"So, are you finally going to tell me what you have planned?" Katherine asked as they got into Raj's car.

"All in good time. For now…" Raj pulled a blindfold out of his pocket. "Do you trust me?"

Katherine looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and then smiled "Yes." She slipped on the blindfold and Raj started the car. It was a long drive; Katherine suspected Raj was deliberately driving around so she couldn't guess their destination. Finally the car stopped.

"Wait and I'll help you out." Katherine waited until Raj opened the door for her. Raj took her hand and she carefully stood. She heard Raj close the door and lock the car then he put his arm around her and they began walking. They walked several steps, went through a door, walked several more steps and then stood still. She was confused until she heard an elevator. The elevator door opened and Raj led her in; they went up and when the doors opened again Raj led her forward several feet, up a short flight of stairs and through another door and finally took the blindfold off.

They were on the roof of his building, before them was a table set for a candlelight dinner. "Oh Raj, how romantic."

"It is exactly one year ago today that we met. I wanted to mark the occasion."

"Raj, you are so sweet." Katherine kissed him tenderly.

They sat down and Raj poured wine that had been chilling in silver ice bucket next top the table. Katherine was just about to ask where the food was, when the door opened and Penny and Bernadette walked through carrying trays of food. "I see you spared no expense in getting the best service in town."

"Nothing is too good for you darling." Raj declared, which caused Bernadette and Penny to giggle. The girls set dinner plates before Raj and Katherine and put what Katherine assumed was dessert on a second table that was off to one side. "That will be all ladies." Raj said. The girls waved to Katherine and left.

They ate their meal leisurely, while the sky darkened and filled with stars. During dessert, Katherine noticed that Raj kept looking at his watch. She was curious to find out what else was planned for the evening. When they had finished dessert, Raj led her over to a telescope. "There is a rare phenomenon visible tonight." He said as a checked to make sure the telescope was positioned correctly. "Take a look."

"Isn't it aimed awfully low?" Katherine asked.

"Trust me, I'm an astrophysicist."

Katherine bent to look through the telescope; instead of stars she saw the roof of an apartment building. Just as she was thinking the building looked familiar, she saw people moving on the roof. "Is that Sheldon and Leonard? What are they doing?"

"Just wait."

Katherine continued to look and the boys were joined by Howard and Amy. They unfurled a giant banner and held it up. Lights illuminated the banner and Katherine could see that it read "Katherine, will you marry me?"

Katherine turned from the telescope to see Raj kneeling with a ring box that held a beautiful ring with a princess cut diamond flanked by two emeralds. "Raj, of course I'll marry you!" She threw herself at him and kissed him enthusiastically.

After a minute Raj stopped her so he could put the ring on her finger. She moved to kiss him again but he said "I have to let them know right away or else the girls will kill me." He pulled out his phone to send a text.

"Oh, I want to see their reaction." She looked through the telescope and saw everyone pull out their phones at the same time. She laughed. "Look." She moved so Raj could see. Howard and Leonard were high fiving each other, Penny and Bernadette were hugging each other and jumping up and down. "What the…! Sheldon is hugging Amy!"

"Let me see." Raj surrended the telescope so Katherine could see for herself. Katherine's phone rang. She ran over to the table and grabbed it out of her purse. "Hi Amy! Yes, you're the first one to congratulate us. Amy now is not really a good time. Okay, thanks. Oh, can you tell Sheldon that Raj won't be coming into work tomorrow? Thanks" Katherine turned off her phone and dropped it in her purse. She walked over to Raj and said "You'd better turn your phone off."

Raj had already done so as he had seen Amy speak to Sheldon and Sheldon shaking his fist in their direction. He stood up and Katherine put her arms around him. "So, what else do you have planned for this evening, fiancé?"

"It involves silk sheets and rose petals."

"Sounds good, can it also involve the blindfold?"

**The End**

* * *

><p><strong>Author <strong>**note: ****Thanks ****to ****all ****who ****reviewed ****the ****previous ****chapters. ****I really appreciate all the encouragement and support. **

**If you liked Raj and Katherine, they will be making appearances in my next story, which explore the enigma that is Shamy.**


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